18 to Life

I want to apologize because I havent blogged in a while, i've just been so busy writing skits and poems that i didnt find the time but i just wanted to share this poem, would appreciate some feedback, please. It's kind of raw and I haven't really looked at punctuation as yet...

18 to Life

by Delroy Nesta Williams

I got 18 to life

And I didn't do the crime

I got 18 to life

Forced to serve the time.

From the moment of birth,

Wasn’t given a chance on this earth

And i'm stuck with this prison sentence

Somebody, tell me what's next.

How can I make amends?

Restitution is for some, not all?

Who will help me overcome?

Stuck here for 18 to life

Simply because I was born poor,

Because my mother didn’t wait.

She spread her legs; victim to my father’s bait

Now she’s left with this little baby

All on her own.

18 to life,

How will she cope?

No job, no man and a little boy

And welfare really doesn’t care.

So I’m stuck here

Trapped within this prison

She was barely a child herself

Where was my father figure?

Surely couldn’t have been this sperm donor

And then they wonder,

How I got 18 to life

Without yielding a gun or knife.

I cry myself to sleep at nights

At the thought of living out my life

Within these broken down walls

I wake up in the early morning

Afraid to open up my eyes

If only I could move away.

But I’m rooted to this place,

Like a tree planted by the rivers

Ohhhhhh; What a rat race.

18 to life

And for what?

Simply because of my birth place.

I need to find a way out.

I will come back for you, mommy

Oh yes, that’s a promise.

Without a doubt...

I’m not sure when as yet,

But by these hands

I’ll break down these walls

Because I can’t stand the fact

That I might be stuck

In the ghetto all my life.

I just can’t serve 18 to life...

New poem; Ghetto Yout Song

Just finished this poem and wanted to share it as soon as I was done... do enjoy

Ghetto Yout Song

I mean no disrespect

But wat de fuck do you expect?

Dis is de truth

An nothin’ but de truth

Tings jus too damn hard for de youts

Went to de bank to take a loan

De officer ah watch me up and down,

Like I come tief at his home.

Jus tell me I cyah get de money

Instead of pretending every ting nice

Dis not no land of milk and honey.

How dis poor ghetto yout

Ah get collateral, ah get land paper?

De man gimme de run around,

De system send me a rob an tief,

Cuz I tell him a Pound mi born

Ah Roseau me come from.

Where de bed of roses?

So nothing for de poor, black yout?

Best I tief a ting for true,

Sell a pack or two.

Is dat de system ah send me to do.

There’s anger in my voice,

Cuz I doh have a damn choice

Dey pushing me against de wall,

All I can do is scream an bawl

Hoping someone will hear my call.

Someone, come to my rescue

Lead me from dis place, so destitute.

Is not like I want to commit a crime

But dere might jus come a time,

When that’s all I can see

As my way outta dis misery.

I need to help myself,

Somebody tell me what’s next

What should I expect?

When all I want is some real respect!!!