Why a Jailbird Screams

One Be Lo kept it real When the broke down Why the caged bird sings I'ma pick up the pieces That he left behind And explain why this jailbird screams I scream because... It took only one bad, ill advised decision To be deemed a menace to society By public officials I scream because... No one wanted to listen To this hurt child That was begging for attention All of a sudden After one bad ill advised decision The whole wants to pay attention I scream because... Society's answer to the problem Was a cage, a lock and a key I scream because... At 17 they were saying That "I couldn't be redeemed" I scream because... No matter how loud I plead my case The judge still wouldn't listen I scream because... I started to believe what The district attorney was saying about me That I was some kind of animal And that I shouldn't be set free Fast forward one year later I turned 18 And my screams got 10 times louder Because my name had been replaced with a number 10-46-1-86 Were the 7 digits That got wrapped around my wrist At this point in my life Nothing at all made any sense I crunched the numbers Like a mathematician Thinking to myself Maybe then it will all make sense No matter how I added, subtracted, multiplied and divided I was still left serving 25 to life For one bad ill advised decision Note: Today after 16+ years of incarceration, the screaming has stopped because I know: I AM NOT MY WORST DECISION. I am fully aware of the far reaching impact that the crime I committed has caused. For that I am truly sorry and remorseful. Nevertheless, I could no longer allow 12 minutes of one day to define who I am. I had to stop screaming in order to start living