Man Up
By Delroy Nesta Williams
Man Up young boy Man Up
Daddy's gone
Out there in the cold world
Loving these young girls
So you have to play his role
So Man Up young boy, Man Up
No more childhood games
You have to bear the brunt of your father's shame
Every time mommy's hurt
She will drag you through his dirt
Because you're a constant reminder
That your father walked out the door
Leaving her to raise 3 kids on her own
And to make it even worse
You have all his characteristics -
Sly with words and full of tricks,
You even sound exactly like him when you speak.
Man Up young boy, Man Up
No more all out fridays followed by lazy saturdays lingering out late
You've got to go out and earn money to put food on your family's plate
There's no more crying for you
Suck it up and be a man
The one that your daddy couldn't be
It has to be you since anatomically it can't be your mommy
You've got to look out for your sisters
Make sure they don't fall prey to the drug dealers and gangsters
Or even worst, men like your father!
Who just gave up on his family
To chase young skirts
Who are almost the same age as his children
Now he has left you with the burden
Picking up the slack where he dropped it
So Man Up young boy, Man Up!
Drop out of school and get a job
Now is the time to pull up your pants, tie your waist and be strong
Simply because daddy is running from his responsibility
And mommy is too busy casting blame and scapegoatting
So this young boy, has to Man Up
Grow some moustache and beard
And face the world
Even though he isn't prepared
And all of this frustration
Is so new to him
As he tries to be better than his father
But every mistake or misstep
Serves as a reminder from his mother
That he's just like his daddy
And only adds fire to his failure
So now he simply rolls over
From one day to the other
Living a man's life while only a child
And he wishes somewhere that his father would be suffering
The same pain that was bestowed upon him
When daddy left his mother and sisters
Forcing his boy child to Man Up!
Hi friends
it's been a while since i actively blogged... to be honest, i've been focusing more on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/DelroyNesta) but i've got some new stuff that i am working on, some of which i will also share here... This is a new poem (wrote it last night), inspired by an image I saw as I was driving through the streets of Roseau after i came from a poetry show (Lyrics Under The Stars):
A woman of Roseau
By Delroy Nesta Williams
I'm sorry but there's nothing innocent
About a woman walking through Roseau's streets at 2:00am
With the confidence of sanitary napkins in her steps
Because her bank account is just a little more swollen than the belly of her teenage daughter
Who's about to make her a grandmother
She got paid for that transaction
And even got a little extra
To spread her own legs
It's bad enough she sold her child
Now she's also riding shotgun at the molester's side
Tomorrow she can afford to cook all her children Sunday lunch
And even have extra to cover supper.
As her high heels hit the pavement
Rhythmic like a Triple Kay drum set
You realize there's another story behind her swinging assets
One of a woman fooled by men that she loved
As one by one they promised her the world
But one by one, the left... Leaving only remnants of their presence
A gift of some sorts that continues to give back
Because now instead of one generation
Her tiny, almost broken down shack
Houses children, grandchildren and even boyfriends
You look into her eyes and you see a lifetime of hurt and pain
A woman stained like the clothes of a farmer who toils the soil planting bananas and plantain
But the cargo boats are long gone
And her fruits are still on the port
Bathing in the hot, dry sun
A consignment of rejects
Dropouts of schools and fired from jobs
Because they've got no qualifications
So this woman has the Earth and Mars to shoulder
And I can only guess how she makes it from one day to another
But her midnight walk only gives us a clue
As to why this woman doesn't sleep when we do
Why she plies her trade when the owls howls
And only the barking dogs and crowing cocks summon the sunrise
If you look closely you will see the fear in her eyes
Because her offspring may just pick up her calling
They're already mimicking her tendencies
Being fooled by the first dude who speaks of love
It's a vicious cycle that won't be stopped
Because a child can't raise a child to be a woman
That mathematics doesn't add up
So she just adapts
And the children just adopt
Because to her it has become second nature
But now it's 3:00am
And she's home
But she can't go to bed
She's got so many things running through her head
Got to cook, clean and basically do everything
Be the man, woman and sometimes even the child
A household running wild
And it's so sad to know
That this shit is happening right next door!
