Lower East Side
Avenue D and East 4th Street
Jews made way for Dominicans and Puerto Ricans
Black people and increasing amount of Asians
In the middle of the block, man, the 40th building
Street dreams, home of too many children
Men and women around here fuckin their feelings
They put their hands to the ceilin
Because these apartments are so small
For four children, there are four walls
For four gangstas, there are 4 4s
These little boys see no opportunities and no doors,
Just more ladders that they cant give a shoot for
Were so sure we got the job done
That Jesus kingdom will come
That Martins dream will sum up into a better future for tomorrow
But its we who have to make the change.
I know its tough to swallow
Especially when the Maseryk Towers are gettin no better
And Lillian Wald elevators smell like bathroom stalls
While at the Nuyorican, a poet spits bars
Our groceries are replaced by lounges and bars
They keep putting our young men and women behind bars too
How much farther can they expect us to get
When its easier to push the grass in our paper
Than to push the paper from our pockets
To get us a piece of paper that supposedly raises our profits,
But thatll line the pockets of people who probably
Line some paper with the grass we were accused of pushin
From Forsyth to FDR, and 14th Street to Grand
All poor people in concrete lands
A mile away from Ground Zero
The mayor wont mind if this becomes Ground One
You cant tell me we got no culture
A neighborhood remains unloved
And with little hope of stayin alive
Even our church is named after the dominant prototype for people around my way
Our Lady of Sorrows, and we clasp our hands in the hopes of makin it out
Our diamonds are rougher than the ones sold on Clinton
And for all the acting that goes on around here,
Whenever Hollywood wants to film a ghetto
They could go anywhere, and any day
But usually, they come around my way
##
Mr. Vilson is a New York educator, a Syracuse graduate and one of my closest poet friends. I have been a fan of his work for at least three years, and want to share. I hope you enjoyed it.
You can find more of his work at his website www.thejosevilson.com
Avenue D and East 4th Street
Jews made way for Dominicans and Puerto Ricans
Black people and increasing amount of Asians
In the middle of the block, man, the 40th building
Street dreams, home of too many children
Men and women around here fuckin their feelings
They put their hands to the ceilin
Because these apartments are so small
For four children, there are four walls
For four gangstas, there are 4 4s
These little boys see no opportunities and no doors,
Just more ladders that they cant give a shoot for
Were so sure we got the job done
That Jesus kingdom will come
That Martins dream will sum up into a better future for tomorrow
But its we who have to make the change.
I know its tough to swallow
Especially when the Maseryk Towers are gettin no better
And Lillian Wald elevators smell like bathroom stalls
While at the Nuyorican, a poet spits bars
Our groceries are replaced by lounges and bars
They keep putting our young men and women behind bars too
How much farther can they expect us to get
When its easier to push the grass in our paper
Than to push the paper from our pockets
To get us a piece of paper that supposedly raises our profits,
But thatll line the pockets of people who probably
Line some paper with the grass we were accused of pushin
From Forsyth to FDR, and 14th Street to Grand
All poor people in concrete lands
A mile away from Ground Zero
The mayor wont mind if this becomes Ground One
You cant tell me we got no culture
A neighborhood remains unloved
And with little hope of stayin alive
Even our church is named after the dominant prototype for people around my way
Our Lady of Sorrows, and we clasp our hands in the hopes of makin it out
Our diamonds are rougher than the ones sold on Clinton
And for all the acting that goes on around here,
Whenever Hollywood wants to film a ghetto
They could go anywhere, and any day
But usually, they come around my way
##
Mr. Vilson is a New York educator, a Syracuse graduate and one of my closest poet friends. I have been a fan of his work for at least three years, and want to share. I hope you enjoyed it.
You can find more of his work at his website www.thejosevilson.com
