::01:31:08::

::: The Cycle :::

Just because a man whispers to you
“let’s make a baby”
while you’re riding him into oblivion
doesn’t mean he really wants you to carry his seed
so why do well allow ourselves to bring more
fatherless children into our community
sex has never equated to love
so how will producing a child
conceived in moments of lust bring about that
happily ever after-2 parent household-white picket fence fantasy
that rarely ever comes true
these days we have
35 year olds becoming premature grandmothers
and babies making babies
all the while not concerned with anything more than
making sure their kids are “fitted”
teenage mothers prancing through local malls
shopping for baby Jordan’s and baby Roca Wear
instead of baby bottles and babies formula
because it’s cute
getting off on “oohs” and “aahs” and
“aww, girl, your backpack matches his diaper bag”
and “don’t trip girl, you didn’t need his ass anyway”
so the cycle continues
we have little girls growing up without male influences
learning how to “walk it out” before learning how to walk
spelling BET instead of ABC and we laugh
buy them miniature stripper clothes because they fit
thinking it’s amusing when they learn to repeat
“this n*gga ain’t sh*t”
and fail to correct their man hating mentalities
since their mothers never had a father to teach them any differently
so the cycle continues
we have little boys growing up without male influences
believing at the age of seven that they have to be protectors
struggling with the dichotomy of soft versus hard
not knowing if it’s more manly to open a door
or hit with an open hand
running to friends for guidance since
mommy just doesn’t have what it takes to raise a man
bedding young girls because their
rapper/actor/idols say it’ll make them a man
so the cycle continues
and now we have him and her, he and she
younger versions of you and me playing grown up
attempting to create a product of the two of them
that will ultimately be brought up just like them
we’re proclaiming the children are our future
but aren’t doing anything to better their present
so what can possibly lay in store for our people
we rely on the misguided school system to
educate our children about sex
yet become enraged when they engage in it
as though anything in our society promotes abstinence
so now we have 13 year old little shay shay
hooking up with 17 year old grown ass jay jay
giving it up in her mother’s bed
he told her she wouldn’t get pregnant
if he just put the head in
but she already has images of little “thems”
running through her head
and it doesn’t matter that jay jay has 3 other kids
she knows he’ll give her money if she begs for it
so now his presence isn’t required
so the cycle continues
I heard of “taking your daughter to work” day
but since when did it become fashionable
to push strollers on junior high campuses
to threaten to take child support out of his
Mickey D’s checks so you and your baby can have
the latest pair of matching vans
this sh*t is sick
sickening to watch swollen bellies beneath training bras
young boys sticking and moving
not being taught the responsibility of being a man
so they opt to not waste time trying to raise one
and young women give in
raised by single mothers themselves so they think it’s
no big deal to become one
brought up to believe men have the option of being fathers
so they don’t force it
would rather use EBT cards at the corner store
and place their names on Section 8 housing lists
than use birth control to prevent
bringing yet another statistic into our community
the cycle has continued for far too long
it has spiraled out of control and now we
take buses to prison in our church clothes
to show off our kids’ new gold ones to denim clad daddy
we put our 14 year olds on Depo since
“they’re just gonna do it anyway”
but don’t warn them about the repercussions
and now we have little girls thinking they’re ready
to become mothers
because their hymens have been broken
and little boys thinking it’s
little girls’ fault if they become pregnant
because nobody is telling them the pull out method
was never designed to work in the first place
so the cycle continues
but it doesn’t have to
let’s start actually communicating truths with our children
tell them more than “keep your pants up and your dress down”
how about something like “spreading your legs won’t keep
a REAL man around”
let’s try being doers instead of sayers
showers instead of tellers
if we keep making babies who are making babies
then our babies will never get a chance to be babies
so let’s stop while we can
stop before it gets so out of hand that
mothers and daughters are shaking asses at the club together
and dropping it like it’s hot
while trading stories about men
in between sharing blunts and shots
for the first time in a long time
let’s come together and do something right
something other than gossip and hate and fight
if we care about the future of the
seeds that we produce
then stop teaching these little girls
that young single motherhood is cute
it’s time to break the cycle

Written by: ~ Brianni