my younger
second cousin
he had a hunger
'twasint'
a question
so much as an answer
he ask

he ask
"steve"
you never wear a mask.

i replied
as best i could
why should i

he said you ever lie?

i said no

looked at him
and then i grined

"steve"
did you ever find the truth

agin' i lied
but told the truth

"no"

how did you know

i said sometimes you just know
gotta' let go
of what you can not
hold on to

he asked agin...how do i begin agin...?

i replied
and i lied
"it's easy..."
start again
be a man
stand up tall
don't let 'em know when you fall
to your knees
that's all
"say if you please
i just be my own me's"

he said...
i do not understand

i replied
you live 'till you die
does that answer your questions
that is my only suggestions

he said "steve"
you have always been
the black sheep
of the family
why is that?

i replied
that's a lie
"once i was white"
"then i found gray"
and blue
and red
a every color true
"did you...
ever see green?"
or yellow?
can you understand
what i mean?"

he looked at me
and i could see
i had totally
lost him...
"think about this...
think about that...
take a piss...
think about where your at!"

"oh... i see"
he said
i said
get outta' your head
you have eatin' too much sugar
remember when you ate a buger"

he said...
"yeah...
think i know
what you just said"

i said...
you do not know shit
so go eat it

so "steve"?
questionally
"were you always the black sheep?"

i replied
this time i did not lie...

"every day of my life
i wanted to be white...
then i found blue & gray."

he said i do not understand
what you say...

i gave him my sly little grin
and i begin agin'...

"white is white...
black is black..."
but gray is a whole new color
then you can know blue
then you can do
green
hell,
maybe red you can see
or purple

but until you've known
you've never been shown
black
then white is white
and all you can write
is so perfectly clear

once you are black
there ain't no goin' back
no way ta' get some slack
have ta' take a new tack
when you're black
you look for gray

everday
you look
you search
you reach
to complete
an incomplete sentance

like a word is a verb
an adjective
a pro-noun
an incomplete sound
a letter you ain't found

you be knee deep
in bein' a black sheep

but without me
you'd just be gray
everyday


so yes
i guess
i always be the black sheep
and i will say
i will pray
it ain't cheap