Why a Jailbird Screams Part 1

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