From the Ghetto

These low income kids need more motivation  
My teachers don’t know the problems we are facing  
I am not a rich privileged girl      I am a chicana, raised in the ghetto type of girl  
 
Let me take you inside of my world  
Just next to my house is where the gangsters meet  
If you say something wrong  
They’re quick to leave you dead in the street  
Graffiti and gang signs is all you see on the walls  
If you take a walk and hear shots  
You wouldn’t want to be in deep  
 
Cops can stop you just because they can  
People like us, do you really think they give a damn?  
My brother is always getting stopped by a white man  
They tell him “Put your hands over your head”  
Any sudden movement and he is for sure dead  
 
In the night the guns are pulled  
Gang enemies coming over  
Looking for problems up to no good  
The street rules are in place like it would  
Gun shots and sirens are playing in the background of my hood  
 
Poverty makes times even more rough  
I didn’t get no new kicks for Christmas  
I guess it’s just my luck  
I have faith in God that I will get out of being stuck  
I have decided I have had enough...