Struggles by Darius Alston

ARTWORK BY RACHEL DUNN

Struggles
by Darius Alston

I get told alot i shouldnt be in the streets but i tell people this life made its way to me i ask what you know about the struggles ya lights getting turned off rent due and the only way you can make money is hustle people tell me go another route but you dont know about being evicted probably don't know what wic is so now you on the corner with the biscuit trying to get a brick so you can flip it and this is not a good living but that money you make off that dope damn its a killing so now you on the block chilling waiting for your meal ticket see you dont got no talents cant play no baseball so you hit the block and sell 8 balls so you cook it up serve it cus the first coming up and you gotta sell this shit urgent cause you tired of seeing ya mother hurting so you pick up the burner because thats the only thing that fells certain so you stay out you grew up watching junkies layed out you think moving bricks is ya way out so the gun turns into your bible and the cocaine is your god so fuck a protector you seen your aunt strung out and there was no one there to protect her so when you tell me i am ruining the community ask who puts it in my hands yall give us no opportunity to earn a fair living trapping is the only way we get bands so we move that dope while yall kill us within white america fuck you we have never been friends so you give us nothing so we have to grovel for less we have no opportunities so dont judge me for moving dope ask me why why does my mother have 2 jobs but can't keep the light on ask me why i have to see my mother crying and my brothers dying of hunger so if you was me wouldn't you hit the streets because thats your only way to eat so you go to the streets so when you tell me get off the corner i ask you are you going to feed my mother are you going to clothe my brothers because i get out from sun up to sun down to feed my fam i had no child hood being a child from the hood you had to become a man because your father walks out so its time to pull the glock out hit the block now so how can you judge if you dont know my story how being im the streets bring you glory you get money for your mother you can finally feed your brothers and you got money to flash thats why nigga get addicted to fast cash niggas start grinding so that you can shine because if you dont got it you fell lost but this street life aint all good you fall by the same thing you live bye the block will be your savior and the devil on your shoulder niggas didnt learn this till they got older and homies started dropping like flies and niggas that been moving pies with you gets locked down so now you looking lost like what now baltimore because in Baltimore niggas only wanna see you down so to make it out the game is harder then it seems so fuck u to all the people that bother me if you dont wanna see me here make it fair give me an opportunity no give us an opportunity because if we could get a good job we wouldn't be on the streets.