What society made me.
Hard-work's great,
But balance is the trick,
I am what society's made me,
Both parents spend long hours at work,
Leaving me starved of much needed love,
Starved and left with no other choice,
I tried to fill that gap without,
In a life of wine and crime,
Because somebody spent some time with me,
And loved me in the gangs in the street,
I tried to find it in the laps of another,
Sought to fill the gap with crack,
Pumped it into my veins and arteries,
And even sniffed it,
High like a kite,
I tried to soar like one,
But I am yet only human,
My wings only in the figment of my imagination,
Before reality of my winglessness dawns on me again,
I am behind bars,
For crimes I can barely recollect committing,
Claiming a cop's life for example,
Dad and mom worked so hard,
And fed my delinquent lifestyle with their excesses and their lack,
Excess cash and lack of love,
Love never present,
Never shown, never expressed,
Material things poorly substitute,
I am what society's made me,
Delinquent children like me,
Classical products of delinquent societies,
The answer's not in the jail cells,
The answer's a reformation of households,
A reformation of society,
A radical reformation of the world.
© 2010 afeseh ngwa hilary
Great piece Ngwa! It brings me perspective, both as a parent and a teacher. As a teacher, I find myself filling hollows every day - hollows in a child's heart and head. As you accurately state, it's a crime of excess and lack, instead of LOVE and PRESENCE! Just being there is good enough for our little ones who love the security of a parent's presence.
ReplyDeleteAnother great piece from you. Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
God bless your heart ndiga Lum for the willingness and ability to fill in the gaps... may God continue to use you to fill a void in a helpless child's life... you make a difference between success and failure for many a kid... as parents continue to work hard, may they never forget the need to be there for the children... thank you...
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