For Jaylan Collins and All the Men of Lansing
Blame us all, if you blame one…
He was all our brother and son
Can I look his mother in the eye,
knowing her son didn’t have to die?
Can I look my brothers in the face,
knowing we lost another? What a waste.
Where were his daddy and big brother?
We are his kin! -Don’t look for others.
He was all our sibling and son…
Blame us all if you blame one!
Where were the teacher and preacher?
We are them, if only we’d reach for him.
Alone and cold and in the dark…
Confused and sick in the park
Doors that were open –close… Eyes that were wide –shut
Why take a child? God knows for what… Why take him?
Because we chose:
-Not to be the village, he deserved,
-To leave the children of the city unsaved and un-served.
Blame us all, if you blame one…
They are all our brothers and sons
Can I look at my wife with love from within,
if I don’t protect her children?
Can I protect them without the help of other men
And offering the same for their kin?
My brother’s keeper gets deeper…
Death at an early age—It’s the latest rage-
Violence in the park… Drinks in the dark…
One word that acts as a spark…
Just another young boy dead… Lansing mother in dread…
That’s what my neighbor said…
That’s what the paper read…
Who will shed a tear- beyond the near and dear?
Who will stop the madness, the sadness?
It’s still unclear. Vision is shrouded by tears.
Blame me, if you blame all…
For not making my brothers and sons hear the call
Boyz2Men “How do I say goodbye?” plays over and again
Baby to child, how do we justify,
the loss of kids continuing.
Man to man in the mirror, can we call ourselves men?
If we let our young die and our women cry with no end
Can I look at any lady of maternal grace…
And say I did all I could to save her baby’s fate?
What is wrong with our village, when boys seek adult joys?
What is wrong with our people,
when only a few cry after the young die?
I wish I could give them some of my years
and not just tears,
I wish I were there to show I care,
I wish I could make all my brothers into men:
Who won’t let any more sons become victim.
We got to get together to stop this from happening.
We must save all our children.
Blame us all, if you blame one…
He was all our brother and son
Can I look his mother in the eye,
knowing her son didn’t have to die?
Can I look my brothers in the face,
knowing we lost another? What a waste.
Where were his daddy and big brother?
We are his kin! -Don’t look for others.
He was all our sibling and son…
Blame us all if you blame one!
Where were the teacher and preacher?
We are them, if only we’d reach for him.
Alone and cold and in the dark…
Confused and sick in the park
Doors that were open –close… Eyes that were wide –shut
Why take a child? God knows for what… Why take him?
Because we chose:
-Not to be the village, he deserved,
-To leave the children of the city unsaved and un-served.
Blame us all, if you blame one…
They are all our brothers and sons
Can I look at my wife with love from within,
if I don’t protect her children?
Can I protect them without the help of other men
And offering the same for their kin?
My brother’s keeper gets deeper…
Death at an early age—It’s the latest rage-
Violence in the park… Drinks in the dark…
One word that acts as a spark…
Just another young boy dead… Lansing mother in dread…
That’s what my neighbor said…
That’s what the paper read…
Who will shed a tear- beyond the near and dear?
Who will stop the madness, the sadness?
It’s still unclear. Vision is shrouded by tears.
Blame me, if you blame all…
For not making my brothers and sons hear the call
Boyz2Men “How do I say goodbye?” plays over and again
Baby to child, how do we justify,
the loss of kids continuing.
Man to man in the mirror, can we call ourselves men?
If we let our young die and our women cry with no end
Can I look at any lady of maternal grace…
And say I did all I could to save her baby’s fate?
What is wrong with our village, when boys seek adult joys?
What is wrong with our people,
when only a few cry after the young die?
I wish I could give them some of my years
and not just tears,
I wish I were there to show I care,
I wish I could make all my brothers into men:
Who won’t let any more sons become victim.
We got to get together to stop this from happening.
We must save all our children.
By Marcus E. Brown
Copyright 2009