Photo by Andrea Gingerich/iStockphoto
The world ain’t no joke so why are you laughing?
People are killing people and that’s what’s happening.
Crime is at an all-time high, and there aren’t too many family ties.
The world ain’t no joke, so why are you laughing?
These are serious times, my people.
What ever happened to the ties that bind?
The thought today is, you get yours, I got mine!
The world ain’t no joke, so why are you laughing?
I’m here to tell you, children have turned against their fathers and mothers,
And everyone is so angry with each other,
Sons against fathers and fathers against sons,
Just look around, everyone has guns.
Dr. King said he had a dream,
If he were alive today, he would jump out his skin.
Babies are having babies, while the mothers are creeping,
And grandmothers are the only ones weeping.
The young boys are on the street, slinging that jive,
Thinking they have arrived, trying to make a dime,
Pants hanging down below their waist, this is in such poor taste,
So many of them are just going to waste.
There are wars overseas, there is a war in your mind,
A war in your spirit, a war in your heart.
Someone is trying to drink their cares away,
Someone is popping a pill today, trying to recapture a so-longed thrill.
Look at the woman on the corner, it really makes you sick to your stomach.
The hearts of the people have waxed cold, and they have become ever so bold.
The scale of justice is still unbalanced,
You can only do so far with your talents.
People are jealous and treacherous, too, they will hurt you just to get through.
The violence in the nation, Dr. King fought against,
Equal opportunity was his defense, affirmative action was designed to help us,
So what’s good for the goose, should be good for the gander.
Your skin may be white,
My skin may be black,
In the end we will all fall through the crack,
If we don’t step forward and have each other’s back.
When it comes to human life, we shouldn’t give a heck.
The blood was still red,
The last time I checked,
So we should treat each other with the utmost respect.
What happened to brotherly love and kind affection?
The world ain’t no joke, there is no detection.
There is no real, true, or unadulterated love,
It’s a facade and doesn’t fit like a glove.
When hate enters in,
It really breaks your heart,
Now you see, the world ain’t no joke
So STOP LAUGHING!
Copyright © 2004 by Sandra Ugoala
The poet confronts pain with power.
