Inspired by a lyric in a song by Bella White called: Just Like Leaving
Bars on my windows did not protect me.
Was the danger outside, or
were the bars there to keep me in?
Am I dangerous?
Why am I not safe?
Behind these bars, I am the criminal.
The bars keep me in, to keep you safe.
But I am not safe.
I have a girlfriend, and I am not a lesbian.
I was found with drugs, but they are not mine.
In my neighborhood, we were told we were nothing.
Our schools did not educate us.
We had not enough to eat.
Selling drugs brought in more money than the honest job at the local burger joint.
That was if I could get a job.
My skin color seemed to indicate that I was not
smart
honest
hard working
so it was hard to find any jobs.
At my first job at the burger place, I worked hard.
The others punched me out for making them look bad.
At our home, we had bars on the windows to keep the bad people out.
The bars did not stop my step father from coming to see me at night.
The bars did not keep my step father from climbing on top of me, in my bed.
The bars did not keep him from hitting me, hard
when I cried out.
The bars did not stop my mother from throwing me out on the streets.
The bars on the window never protected me.