He’s one of those boys with a gentle, sweet smile
That makes you look twice
Here on the streets, you notice what’s nice
You see, out here you get picked on if you’re not a little mean
So, he walks the line in between
Stepping from scene to scene
Just wanting to be seen
One day hopping fences with the gang
Another day dropping the game
Looking for respectable gain
But who does he have to show him how?
All these grown kids just sitting around
Having somehow missed the right of passage
From boyhood to manhood
Now lacking the tools to pass on what they should

Those who are reaching for more
Seem to be hidden behind closed doors
So that boy looks to the streets
For signs to guide his feet
And that’s how he ended up in the backseat
Of the police car I saw him in today
Having lost his way
And I ask myself who’s to blame
Or better yet, who will pay?
As his big brown eyes catch mine
Quickly ducking out of sight
Ashamed of his plight
But I continue to stare
Wondering how he got there

Has life given him any other choice?
Has he heard any positive voice
Guiding him through all the noise?
Tears rise to my eyes
As these questions arise
And I wonder, where are the men
Who will help these boys who are broken?
Who will call them forth to vision
Tapping into their mission
Holding out a hand
To help them stand
And then leap higher
To a future that’s brighter?
Is there not one light in the dark?
To keep that boy out of the police car?
I’m left with this question
Who will stand with these boys
Who are just trying to figure out
How to be men?