i used to laugh
at them
niggaz who found g*d
on the lockdown
as if some ghost would
shine a light
in the dark well
of the prison yard
"no candle," i thought
"to cast a shadow
for me to run from"
'til one day i looked out
my window
and the saw the yard
i tended
was a wasteland
that fenced me in

tearing at chickenwire
and digging my heels
i heard a voice
"boy, what in the hell are you doing?"

i raised bloody hands
in ecstatic surrender
"show me the lock!"
i cried out
dancing in my own blood
"free this idiot's mind!"

i had
what drunks and druggies call
a moment of clarity

"you know what happens to those
who speak the truth."

"will you take the blade
unto your own hands?"

yes!

"will you walk the road
of fire?"

hell yes!

"will you be a tool
to be used and beaten
'til you are rusted and worn?"

f*** yes!

"will you die for nothing
with a song on your heart?"

yes lord yes!

"boy, you must be crazy."

i heard g*d call me
this morning

i got my gun
and waited