Before he walks out that door
And before he tries a joint
Before he gets drunk for the very first time
Before he makes up his mind to make a point
Before he loses his virginity
Before he gains a reputation
Before he is influenced by the world around him
Before he forgets his way and finds himself waiting,
For a bus
that’ll take him where he has to be Rather than where he wants to go Because no one ever paid attention
To him
or what he was doing,
So before we let him go . . .

Somebody Say Something

Somebody say “Hi”
before he tries it
And show him what it means to not be focused
And just remind him that he doesn’t need Marijuana to manifest–
rather tell him now Hemp is hopeless and I hope this is no knock to those who feel the need to make herbs a dietary supplement
But I’ve done a study of my own
and statistics show
that an altered state of awareness may enact subsequent failure
and there is no need to tell you
how many brothers have already smoked away chance after chance to advance in a society that stands on a platform that pales in comparison to anything right–
but for just these moments we might want to oblige–
if not for our people,
let’s just say it’s for our pride
So we can be proud of him
because he stood for something
and couldn’t stand smoke
So he never started smoking
and as a child he realized drugs were no joking matter
and let’s hope he’ll learn an important lesson before he has to find
out the hard way and before we find out what happens after,

Somebody Say Something

Before he goes out into this world not knowing the difference between free will and freedom
and makes the mistake of not making the distinction that free will is from God and freedom is from this country and once he appreciates the difference he’ll know what it means to hear some things and some things can only be heard if you listen
So he’ll listen to his heart before he listens to his homeboys
and he won’t have to look so far for answers
Friends can give you advice
but they can’t necessarily give you chances
This is no dress rehearsal
This is real life–no second chances He’d better get it real right–right now.
And he might not know that because we didn’t show him
and what he doesn’t know is
what he knows
is way more important than who might know him
and where he is right now
is only the starting point
for where he’s going
and even though he might mean to
mean the best
when he becomes a man
meaning means nothing.
He’ll have to make a decision to be a man of his word
and that’s one thing he’s probably never heard

So, Somebody Say Something

He already has a predisposition to lack thereof–
Lack of funding and moral guidance
Lack of responsible individuals that will hold him liable
and won’t just lie to him
Lack of positive reinforcement
with examples of success
Rather we will expose him to poverty and the notion it suggests–
more than likely he’ll never hear from those who made it how to do just that because those individuals are never so visible once they move up
They do just that
and he’s already going to deal with a father who’s invisible
and a mother who holds him responsible for that
and a system that will teach him nothing of his past and won’t prepare him for his future
Don’t they understand that it takes more than nature to make this boy a man
When it comes to his stance,
what’s in his pants is useless
But they’ll have him believe he can use it whenever
and won’t tell him the pain that comes with pleasure
and no one explains that his body is a temple
and that what’s down there is a treasure
to be found
by someone special–
and special ain’t the moment that makes it feel nice–
special is the woman
that makes him feel life
By marrying him,
she’ll make him right
So somebody tell him to wait
Is there anyone that hates to see illiteracy more than I do?
I’m not saying you have to conjugate verbs and nouns like I do
But these little young black men sound foreign and
it’s almost as if they try to
But that’s because
we’d rather read them their rights than read to them at night
We’ll wait till they go wrong
Then try to lead them right
then blame it on their songs
or their situation
Someone please stand up and be held accountable
an entire generation is waiting
and no one seems to be concerned
So maybe we’ll send them to the church
Where the preacher will tell them they’ll burn
If you keep trying to hide the truth Then that’s exactly what they’ll learn

So somebody Say Something

Tell them that the only thing that matters Is that he matters in the end
And if he never finds himself
Then he himself will never matter to his friends
And tell him that real men believe in God
And we love one another
And we find beautiful wives
because we loved our mothers
and saw to it that our sisters didn’t find it hard to find someone worthwhile
and if she has any glimmer of hope inside herself
she’ll teach this to her child
and he’ll grow up to be the father that I never had
and he’ll have respect, honor, dignity and compassion
for the reality is–
faith is a concept–
yet one not so hard to grasp

I hope he hears me

Before he walks out that door
and before he tries a joint
Before he gets drunk for the first time
Before he makes up his mind to make a point
Before he loses his virginity
Before he gains a reputation
Before he is influenced by the world around him
Before he forgets his way and finds himself waiting
for a bus
that’ll take him where he has to be rather than where he wants to go because no one ever paid attention to him
or what he was doing
Before we let him go…

Somebody Say Something

©2005 Cornelious “See” Flowers
@seethepoet