Changing Times

Every time I go home it seems another friend is dead
Broken dreams, drugs, abuse, or gunshots to the head
But remember when we were kids, so young and care free
When we were superman, batman, and karate man like Bruce Lee
Back when we had to be in the house at a certain time
And the cute girl with all the candy checked the block saying
"She'd Be Mine"

Remember when the principal's paddle guarded the golden rule
And we were sent down to his office for acting a damn fool
And he would reiterate on our backside why we were really in school
Then we'd dry our eyes before returning to class so the candy girl
Thought we were still cool!
It was a time when possibilities seemed endless like the desert sand
And a brighter future was a black boy's only plan
Yet childhood memories fade and you become a man
Surrounded by all the negativity in the Devils wasteland
But I look back on those times when I really want to smile
I mean when I really need some peace, I look through the eyes of a child
So let your child be a child for when it's over that they'll surely miss
Because once they reach adulthood life offers no more promises!

©2006 Thomas L. White III