Da Struggle
By JP
Kids starving, momma nodding and pops foreign
These are the broken homes that most of us were born in
No food, no heat, and no water
This here is poverty, where life expectancy is much shorter
No shoes, holey clothes, and runny noses
In a place where praying is unheard of and who is Moses?
Prostitutes, drug dealers and cold killers
Doing errands for them so I could eat is all I remember
Birthdays was the worst days
We had to steal out of stores when we was thirsty
They say that there ain’t no love for the wicked
But don’t judge us, life chose us—we didn’t pick it
Surrounded by steel gates, none of them pickets
It’s like we were raised for jail, I don’t get it
Kids getting used, molested, and abused
Wearing long sleeves to school to hide the bruise
“M.O.B.,” a lot of dudes say; they live by the rules
And the young girls think it’s cute, but they are so confused
But I love where I’m from—don’t get it misconstrued
Even back when my lil bro was crying from hunger
And I ain’t know what to do
A couple of years later and it still draws emotions from you
And it’s still taking our young men to jail by the bundles
I’m a proud survivor of our world that we call the jungle
And even when I get old and rich, I’ll always remember “da struggle”
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The poets featured here are currently incarcerated, and many of them are in federal prisons far from home. Your feedback is a valuable source of motivation and connection to the outside community. Post your comments, feedback, and encouragement in the space below the poem. Messages will be passed on directly to the author. Comments may not appear immediately on the site, as our team processes them to mail to the poets.
Wow JP. Just wow.
I like the hip-hop, the rhythms and rhyme
That sets the tone of your time.
Your rough edge can cut like a knife:
Open a man up, reclaim a life.
Wow. I actually have goosebumps after reading this poem. There´s so much in here that´s moving and powerful, so I will only mention some of my favorites. My favorite stanza is the third one. Quoting from Biggie is wonderfully creative– I love how you keep the first line (“Birthdays was the worst days”) but change the second one to reflect that you´re not totally out of the struggle yet.
The lines “Don´t judge us, life chose us” and “It´s like we were raised for jail” are perhaps the most incisive of the poem. They really get to the heart of the issue of the cycle of violence, poverty, and incarceration that you´re writing about. It´s so easy for people on the outside to judge those who are struggling, but what would they do if they were in that position? We can´t choose what kind of life we´re born into, only how we decide to live our lives once we´re adults. Your poem expresses this eloquently. Please keep writing! I´d love to hear your perspectives on how to break the cycle and help those still in it.
I liked this, and three other bloggers liked it before me. There are 4 votes giving a 5-star rating.
I read this one aloud. It paints a clear picture of the environment and circumstances leading to the prison. The rhythm and rhyme work really well, such as the ones who live by the rules, and the ones who are confused. The rhythm and rhyme emphasizes their character.
The rhythm is fantastic, the portrayal of the disparity of opportunity is stark and oh so chillingly real. Beautiful use of language.