PAPA
Candace Nicholas-Lippman
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They just left him there Uncovered Lying in the middle of the street No one went to check his pulse Or to make sure he had a heartbeat Blood slowly seeps Out from underneath His body Someone please tell me Is he breathing The cautionary yellow tape Serves as a blockade For us heart-stricken onlookers Who take videos and snaps pictures The earth shatters From all the overwhelming cries But my eyes Never leave his body As he laid lifelessly About six three No older than sixteen Rather skinny And wearing an oversized hoodie I need to see his face As the paramedics race To the boy Whose blood Has now flood Like a river As they turn him over Placing him on the stretcher Thank God I thought he was my brother I am the eldest Of six children Five girls and one boy My baby brother "Papa" Well that's what we call him But his name is Jordan He's very very Tall Handsome Loves to play basketball Not the life of the party Some would say Socially awkward But he's just quiet And a deep thinker My brother Like any young man Loves his Nintendo and PlayStation Or practicing the newest wrestling moves On his two youngest nephews He loves music Detests school Has a sweet spirit And a kind heart But unfortunately He is a part Of that "statistic" Of growing up without a father present No one to teach him how to tie a tie Or what to do when there's a girl he likes No one to prepare him for manhood Or to inform him about the ways of this world A world That will make sure He knows he is different A world That will do everything it can to break his spirit A world That will stereotype and demonize All the while making money Off his God given abilities Keep his black history Restricted to February In order to maintain Modern day slavery A world That will automatically see him as a threat Because of the color of his skin Or about how he dresses God forbid He walks down the street In one of his favorite hoodies I tell Papa You cannot be out late at night Riding your bike Or playin ball with your friends At that park you like I try to warn him But he doesn't understand My brother Jordan Just turned eighteen What a blessing I say blessing Because the world we live in It is no longer common For a black boy to live that long Not when you have cops Killing young black men In their own backyards Stephon clark Stephon Clark Was a real wake up call As this shooting of an unarmed black man For holding a cell phone Was way too close to home Sacramento Is where my Papa lives And all I kept thinking Is that could've been him Shot dead Or how about D'ettrick Griffin Down in Atlanta Where the off duty officer Emptied his gun Into the body Of this 18 year old teenager Same age as my brother I'm scared for Papa He is a black boy Who doesn't understand That they do not see Him They do not admire his potential They do not respect his hustle They have already labeled Him a thug A menace to society An animal Who will need to be put down That's how they will justify Taking his life His face will be broadcasted On every news station As a harden criminal Or troubled Gantsa All over social media Hashtags will be filling up Timelines and newsfeeds With headlines That another cop got off free There is No justice For fourteen year old Antonio Shot dead for holding An airsoft toy No justice For Jimmy Atchison Killed in his apartment complex Or the many many many many other black boys Lying in graveyards I am the big sister I am his big sister Someone tell me How I do protect my little brother From a country Who doesn't think his life matters And yes It's 2019 A new year, fresh start But tell that to D'angelo Brown Who was just shot In the head By a Chicago cop Where's the New Years resolution Where America has vowed to protect The unarmed black man So I ask again How do I protect my little brother From a world Whose out to destroy him How Every time I go home to visit I have this conversation with Papa Again and again Showing him pictures and articles Of the young men Slained Who look just like him Hoping that one day it really sinks in Jordan That they don't see you as human But just this black waste of space And you're not safe. He's not safe Y'all I love my brother He's the only boy Of five sisters The only one Who can carry on The family name Lead a legacy That could impact history But each day There's a possibility That I could receive the call That they took my brother's life Because they mistook His basketball For a knife I know it sounds ridiculous But this is the world we live in Fun fact Down in Florida They use mugshots of Black men As their target practice They are being trained and equipped To see black men and women As threats We don't stand a chance My brother doesn't stand a chance So what do I do I continue to pray For you Papa As your big sister I pray that Gods Hand Of protection Covers you Every second Pray that God Opens up the hearts Of these cops Who have been brainwashed Trained Raised to believe That every minority Should become extinct I give it all to you God And Papa Please Remember No matter what you do Whenever you see blue Keep your head down Yo' hands up And you live
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"PAPA Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric-lf/8098521/Candace+Nicholas-Lippman/PAPA>.
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