Once Upon A Time
By GL
Once upon a time . . .
I lived my life, as though any day could of been my last.
At the tender age of 15, that was how I was living.
THUG LIFE wasn’t just a cool slogan for me
It was a religion.
Amen . . . .
A man . . . manifested a plan
To cultivate the minds and land of his people
THE PEOPLE
We shall overcome . . . some day
But for now, we can forget about being treated socially equal
Maybe in 30 yrs or so . . . in a 100 yrs or mo’
What you reap you sow . . . When I think I GROW
When I think I GLOW . . . When one think, it SHOWS
Think about it . . .
Scratch your head and blink about it
Dropped some jewelry, the impact knocked a link up out it
Once upon a time . . .
I was of a different mind
On the block all the time – committing different crimes
I grew up poor . . . refrigerator on E, my bed was the floor
Ventured down a different path
Opened a different door
Emotions became a wrath
The block became my whore
Money became my b****
My b**** became my god
And GOD became a myth . . .
My salvation, was inside a spliff
The burning bush was burning
My world was turning, upside down
A child hood was lost – a light was found
Society is out of bounds, to the undesirables
Kids wanting to be what they see on cable
Damn near every household possess a Cain and Abel
Damn near every parent in my hood was unstable
A half full 40oz in the fridge, a bag of red hot chips on the table
Crack pipes stashed in the medicine cabinets
It’s easy for the youth to gravitate, to the GHETTO FABULOUS
Gangsters, killers and hustlers
Foreign whips, and customers
Fly girls lust for us
Feeling like you on top of the world
But all along, you’re on top of nothing
At least, you’re on top of something
Even if it’s on top of nothing
Once upon a time . . . I was of a different mind
My 3rd eye was blind to the symbols and signs
Now I can see CLEARLY
4 Comments
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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.
Dear GL,
This is a very powerful poem and I hope that you will share more of your writing. I am sorry that you have faced so many challenges and injustices. You are human and deserve love, respect, and kindness. There is much work that our country needs to do to admit to the wrongs we are committing and the lack of compassion that we often show each other. I hope that you will find peace and look forward to reading more of your poems.
If you don’t listen to the music of Saul Williams, you really should. This is powerful stuff. There is so much passion behind your words. “Damn near every household possess a Cain and Abel.” That floored me. There is so much good stuff here! I really hope you keep writing poetry and finding ways to share it.
This poem is INSANELY good. My jaw dropped when reading it. The passion you write with seeps from every single line. I could totally imagine someone using this poem for spoken word – it needs to be said with such grit and raw emotion outloud.
I absolutely loved the lines “Amen… / A man… manifested a plan” I see what you did there with the amen/a man comparison.
The lines “When you reap you sow… When I think I GROW / When I think I GLOW… When one think, it SHOWS” was just remarkable. I love the imagery of something glowing as they harness the power of their own thoughts. It’s really powerful stuff. These lines really had a rhythm to them, they felt like song lyrics.
The imagery you invoke in this poem is really great – the refrigerator on E, bed on the floor, a bag of red hot chips on the table… I could see all of it.
The experiences you write about are so sad and hopeless but we need to hear these stories. Thank you so much for sharing.
Best,
A
Hi GL,
Wonderful poem. Your writing style is direct and raw, evoking vivid images of your life experiences. It is a powerful testament to seeing beyond the allure of the “ghetto fabulous” lifestyle to which many are drawn.
It is unfortunate that our system is broken in actively working in rural communities, which are more popular for creating a toxic environment for a child to grow in. While some people are strong enough to grow up and not imitate what they see around them. Not everyone is the same, and some people become a product of their surroundings.
I like how you end the poem with the metaphor that your “third eye was blind” to the dark path you’d taken. It demonstrates how far you’ve progressed and that you’re actively working on yourself and being introspective.
Keep writing and inspiring others. I could see this poem being used as a popular inspirational speech to youths on a large platform.