A.B.M. (Poetic Interlude)

The Average Black Man The Average Black Man The Average Black Man I am The Average Black Man They don't view me as the average black male Because my skin is far from pale, and my kind are usually in jail You see the average male wears suits, And isn't usually of African descent But I see no wrong doings within me, so I shall not repent I am below average I come from subsidized housing Where they think that, we think that Selling drugs is our only option to make a buck They see my body language, hear my use of grammar And say, "he really don't give a f*ck" But I won't, I won't I will not, I will not, and I repeat I will not Give into their negative energy that they feed me from their palms I will look at myself as average, and simply move on But as I begin to do that I remember that they hate my nappy hair And doubt, how could I ever be a structured man? When I grew up with a single parent My father was never there My thoughts to myself are "As I bath, does the soap become dirt?" Growing up in a world so cold, my own thoughts begin to hurt me I am the average black male I am the average black male And I speak for most when I say, "we do not attend church" So even my own kind trash me saying, "Since I don't know the word, he won't know where it hurts" And you see the average black male could not state a single sentence without using that, "n" word, am I correct? For everywhere I go, everything I do, everything I wear, I'll fit the description They'll make me the perfect suspect My above average brothers, however Martin, Malcom, James, and John They had wives, they were there for their kids They led marches, they gave speeches, they were fearless, they never hid They form movements, movements towards peace Through pen on paper my anger I release I am tired of people stereotypical opinions thrown towards me I am not below average I am average sadly But I'll move toward becoming above average And since knowledge create power, then I must not lack it I am nothing to my brothers of the past I am living with my brothers in the present And is a model for my brothers in the future I'll stand for my brothers, and try to create a sense of unity For that I must accept their hatred, their negativity, their cruelty My hair is nappy, my pigment is dark, my appearance is different, and that's how I stand But I cannot act for all my brothers So I'll be patiently waiting, and remain The Average Black Man I am The Average Black Man The Average Black Man The Average Black Man (Average Black Man) (Black Man) (Black Man)