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Poison by Culture


Philadelphia, the place where most people never sleep
Living with a single parent sometimes is just not right
Mom would spank us when we fussed or fight


They convinced us that everything we needed was in this ghetto
This forgotten land with brooms and shelves
Asian people own the neighborhood convenience store
They provided cold food accepting stamps at the corridor


Penny candy to Jolly rancher's chips in brown bags
We thought we were living life
It was all part of the big scheme to make us not reach our potential height.


Tricked by Santa clause, who would never break into my house
Dad kept a 9, mil under the bed to keep all intruders out
We heard so many lies to taint our minds
Once told if you lose a tooth, imaginary people give dimes


I never knew it was a world outside the ghetto
I thought Rap was the only music, not Heavy metal
Institutionalized by poverty
Unaware of rights that protected sovereignty


Our books were the history of slave-masters; who raped our nation
We had one library for research and no bus travel on time to our station


Toys as a kid, it was hard to relate too
The magazine had thin white women and men who did not look like you
From a child, our imagination poisoned to be white
Now when black people rise, we think it is not right

Written by Jonathan Grayson

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