Street Life

 You know, life’s not like a fairytale story.

You don’t just walk through your troubles & earn fame & glory.

You end up face down on the pavement, bloodied & gory.

Under the label of ‘thug’ placed in a vague category.

Shunned by society, adults & teachers,

Looked at with fake pity by social workers & preachers.

To them you ain’t nothin’ but a filthy street creature.

The expect to see your face in every news story being featured.

People walk along on the sidewalk, just as happy as can be.

With not even a clue of how hard it is to be me.

They don’t know my dreams, my hopes, what I want to someday be.

All they see in me is hatred, and that’s all they want to see!

I want to scream at them to look in a mirror.

And know that I’m not the only thing they should fear.

Open your eyes, folks, & get your facts clear.

Before you start pointin’ fingers & giving me that nasty sneer.

Reviews

[Tina Kline]

Another very good and powerful poem. It makes me feel sad for the person in the poem
yet glad they have the strength to stand up for themselves. This poem has a lot
of punch to it as well. I like it. Well written and reads smoothly. It tugs at my
emotions in a strong way. I'm glad the person in the poem didn't end up face
down on the street.

Tina