little all shades of brown boy
daddy loves you
little all shades of brown boy
wonder why, daddy left you
to his life so wrong they do
to his life so wrong they do

Raw sewage is how they’ve viewed his… life
So wrong is how they do his… life
Where to begin with all the tales of sin and strife
Black gold miners, missionaries — murderers
dethroned him from his home
Chief to slave
King to cotton picker
Warrior… to un- whole
3/ 5
shipped
brown shit
hog spit
piss
whipped…
wings clipped
blips on the screen of America

Tuskeegee Airmen and experiment recruits
Strange fruits and Strangers in the Village
Recipients of palefaced pawing and pillage
Black not beautiful, black like oil spillage
Diminished to 3/ 5 of whole
His truth shall be told
His truth should be told
little all shades of brown boy
daddy loves you
little all shades of brown boy
wonder why daddy left you
How would anyone… feel… deal
after centuries of…
humiliation, displacin’, castration…
discrimination…
separated him
from manhood and kin
An eagle — amongst chickens
One can only imagine
envision
such imprisonment
Whisked
from bountiful to spartan
Forced to exist on the margin
Epic memory stricken with the disease of conditioning
Raising families in the midst of hate,
Accused of rape,
Dicks severed… served upon a plate
stuck in the mouths of their oppressors
food for the fueling of…
Hell’s fire
What would you do?
You might leave too if…
You were beat in front of your woman and sons,
helpless as sons swung
from ungiving trees,
under the southern… sun
What would you do?
You might leave too
What would you do?

to his life so wrong they do
to his life so wrong they do
to his life so wrong they do
to his life so wrong they do
little all shades of brown boy
daddy loves you
little all shades of brown boy
wonder why, daddy left you
to his life so wrong they do
to his life so wrong they do

No wonder some have run from,
omen of failure
arms of lovers
paternal commitment…
erased themselves from child’s vision
Ashes to ashes… dust to dust
all to naught… first man to invisible man, then
back again
the vicious cycle
May the imperfect circle be now broken
it was designed for your choking
Breathe
Receive the sovereign legacy of your history
Embrace past’s misery…
For the purpose of strengthening, not excusing
Ida B. fought for
Martin died for
Emmet Till paid a price
eyes have cried for…
your life
What will you do with your life???
Be the kings you born to be
Be the fathers your brown boys need
Be those kings you were born to be
Be the fathers your brown boys need…

They say, young black boys bloom thorns first
reach and compete for an illusory elixir
quickfixers, cock tales are told and sold as
basic low vibratory animalistic behavior
resurrect from blood root trees
manufactured dis- ease and line chalk
demonstrate god walk
may your reflection be your savior
all shades of brown boy
little all shades of brown boy
daddy loves you
little all shades of brown boy
daddy loves you
little all shades of brown boy
daddy loves you
all shades
wonder why
wonder why