A Poem for Black Youth - Bling Bling Coffin - Mark Mace Smith

Bling Bling Coffin

Children, children
Where’s your brother there?
Where’s your sister there?

Children, children
Where’s your mother there?
Where’s your daddy there?

Where on earth are you… from
Where on earth is your… home.

Black Child
You are not wild. But if you don’t fix up your style
You’ll stay just where you are for a very long while.
Where is your beautiful smile?

Black Child
You are not dumb. Speak with your mouth, not a gun.
Why are we killing our sons?
Where are the fathers to this generation?

Black Child
You are not bad. It’s the missed education that you had
The national curriculum black man is sad
A slave or assassinated radical.

Black Child
You are not less than
any white or Asian brother or the next man.
Learn to be cool not vex dan.
And get yourself a proper education.

You don’t need to get certification.
But learn of the methods of the white man
long time keeping darkie down
in this and many other nations.

Listen to the radio stations.
Surf the net for news from other locations.

Learn about the international African links
that asks us to be noble, to choose to think
and treat ourselves as worthwhile.
Break out that beautiful smile…

If there’s only one thing that I leave you with here
It’s that I ask that you be aware
Of the value of living on a planet that we share
Through some complex freak of luck, we are here!

Know your history
Live in the present
Plan your future
For no bling bling coffin
will ever suit you.

*

Mark Mace Smith