"YOUNG BOY"

"YOUNG BOY" "Young boy on the go trying to be a big man. Building his house on the sinking sand. Working on his rap to impress the gals. Acting real cool to impress his pals. No job no skill no money either. Needing all but having neither! Living at home, and paying no rent . Flunking school and giving no hint, that he intends to grow into a righteous man. Just shucking and jiving and living off the land. Say young brother! Tell me what's it gonna be? How you gonna earn some dignity, if you don't accept responsibility? You know this, so don't act surprised. Dignity ain't between a young girl's thighs, nor responsibility in a junky's eyes." I wrote "Young Boy" back in 1986. I had just entered private practice of law. My friend, and brother, the man who married me to my second wife, Lyla: the late, great AME preacher, Rev. William Howard Clark, also the Urban League of Greater Kansas City President, had asked me to write something poetic to address the black teen pregnancy, sexual responsibility program, his group was initiating. I read it aloud to some adults and hardly got a reaction from them at Bill's program . But, also I later read it at Southwest High School, at a teacher's request. The kids went wild! I couldn't believe it! I didn't know what was happening! I still don't know. But I saw then that hip/hop was a powerful medium of communication among the young!