Mean Streets

K Swift created this wonderful poem called, "Mean Streets" which speaks about teen violence and gang violence. The way the poem is constructed, contains a lyrical flavor and a hip hop influenced poetic flair. This poem was used in Period #6 and Period #8, while I used Charles Chatmon's self reflective poem, "A Question of Kings" which uses a lot of imagery to discuss manhood, self love, image of being a man, and internal conflict on self image and worth from a male's perspective. That poem was used in Period #7. Both poems generated interesting first poems from Mr.Ealy's class.

10/25/07

Ealy, 9^th Grade (8^th Period)

Untitled

Diamond T.

Violence is not what’s good in our life.

We need to all come together and move things right.

We need to stop killing people and live our lives freely.

Feed the hungry and help the needy.

We need to put away guns and talk things out

Because killing people ain’t the only out.

We need to speak our minds whether we have to scream or shout.

That’s what it’s all abut.

We need to help these gangs learn that they’re only making things worse

Robbing banks, snatching an old lady’s purse

These things ain’t gonna bring us a bright beautiful future

We should just put away violence

They need to stop spoiling nature

These unborn kids want to see a day or light

Not stuck in their homes where it seems like it’s always night

They want to see what’s life live in the ghetto or in the hood

Is life like this, bad or good?

I’m tired of seeing little kids dying.

At funerals all you see are families crying.

Is the world really coming to the end?

Losing our families and even best friends?

Tell me, why is shooting affecting our early day lives?

We all need to stand up and do what’s right.

If Only I Could

Giffel M.

If only I could get away

Staying in the hood is not good

See my life was supposed to be sweet

But this life beat the hell out at me

16 years full of tears

16 years full of fears

I thought life what at a stance

The truth is I lost 3 of my friends

1 – baby was my biggest fan and my sister, man…

See aim to shoot cause they have nothing

Else to do

Stay on the corner all the time

Cause all street niggas has is one state of mind

Let me take you to the block where cops never stop

See they keep it moving

And they keep on shooting

But really though if only I could or show

I say if I would break away and hopefully be out

Seem like life just keeps finding me

My friends to my family to people I know that

Looking down on me

See I pour liquor on ground to see all my dead homey

That can’t see me now

See if I could only …I could get away

The Streets Are Dying

Devin M.

The streets are dying because us black teens are destroying it.

We’re destroying it by spilling our blood on it.

We killing each other in our streets wetting up our shirts and we think it’s cool

We think it’s cool to run from the police, shoot at each other and sheltering wanted felons

When we tell the cops where the felons at instead of getting praises for helping the street, we get called snitch and can’t show our faces

Young black teen don’t’ want to grow up and be professional

We grow up and try to pop in a girl and flood the streets with fatherless children

We run out on the babies and the parent’s don’t have money to get an abortion

W go into gangs and sell drugs because all their life, they been on drugs

In the gangs that don’t do nothing just flood the hood with drugs and children

Children watch with admiration of gun holding g’s

They want to hustle like their father they never knew

10/25/07

Mr. Ealy – 9^th Graders (7^th Period)

Real

Paul P.

The world ..it’s ending.

People are dying…painfully…slowly.

Is any of this real?

Are any of us really alive?

Maybe we just having a long dream.

A never ending dream

Or a happy dream

We can’t control our dreams or fate

It’s decided from birth

If it is a dream, why can’t we get want we want?

I wish this dream would end.

I want to wake up so badly.

This dream world is hell.

The Question of the Streets

Niffa E.

What goes on in the streets

Stays in the streets

The streets are cold thugs, lies and drugs

The streets are going crazy

Young girls out here having babies

Grown men look at girls that are barely teenagers

Young boys out her gang banging

What such bad behavior

My ?

I want to ask to the streets lies so deep

To bad what happens in the streets, stays in the streets

Question of Thugs

Rayeisha M.

Encased in thugism

You are supposed to be this great warrior

A king strong in spirit

Stick together

Helping each other and not killing

Selling or stealing

Withstanding everything

Protecting your brothers and sisters

From forces outside the neighborhood

Yet unaware from inside it crumbles

Under self hate

Please check back every month for more great poetry from the Freshmen Classes, Rooms 207 and 209.

Thanks much,
Pam Osbey
Artist-In-Resident