Tyree (Before the Sword)

By AH
Dedicated to Tyree, a Free Minds member who lost his life to gun violence November 8, 2013

What good is a reputation
If it demands the lives of millions of young black men and women to attain it?
Surely we have forgotten that our blood is sacred
And our youthfulness is pure
At least it was before we picked up the sword

What is the sword?
The sword is drugs, violence, money, and guns
These are the things that hold more weight in our heart than love
We are weak to the pleasures of this carnal earth
When our passion should never have ruled over our lives
Because sometimes your passion could bring misfortune to your front door

So how can our action be right when we have no rule of our lives?
Nothing can be just if acted upon without reason
What is life for such a man, but the phantom of a dream?
Maybe the truth is we are our own worst enemies
We are so concerned with people’s general opinions
When half of the generality of young men are ignorant
I mean, will it kill us to look in the mirror?
Or are we as scared of our own reflection as a groundhog is of its own shadow?

Matter of fact, I want you to close your eyes
And imagine that you are a working 25 year-old young man
I want you to imagine that you have a 7-year-old son
Who is the spitting image of you
And loves his Daddy dearly
For once in your life, smile at the fact that you are trying to better yourself

Now, open your eyes
Only to see a bloody shirt as screams echo through the air
This was Tyree (before the sword)