"WHAT'S IT LIKE?"

What’s it like
Being a black cop?
Are you a bird in a cuckoo cage?
Or an eagle soaring high?
Do you prosper like your colleagues?
Or are you left by the wayside as you try?
What’s a typical day in the life of a black cop?
You dress smartly in your uniforms
With your desires of making CID
But do you have to work much harder
To gain the respect of your community?
Are you viewed as a sell-out?
Or revered a positive role model?
What do you do?
How do you cope?
When as a black cop
You might have to confront the black youth
How do you manage to persuade them
To drop their guns and their knives?
How do you explain to them
With every stab they make
With every shot they take
They are halting their own evolution.
Black cops I admire you.
Black cops I salute you.
But I know for sure …
I couldn’t do the job you do.
So all respect is due.

Thank you my sister for thinking of me
A fading face in today's society
Always dreamed of being in a position of authority
My dad always said…
As black people we need to get ourselves into the system
Reflect change because a beast can’t stand its own reflection
Check mate like chess into powerful positions
Soaking in lessons from those that paved the way
Equals knowledge and wisdom
Just here to make a difference
So in reality what is it like for me?
I'm living life on a double headed sword
Getting called a sell out
While other ethnic groups work the board
Helping each other with love and support
As a black man I'm just a crab in a bucket
Every time I try to succeed
Another brother just pulls me back
Plus snide marks from colleagues
Is a kick in the teeth for my progression
But I get a good boost positively using my aggression
The stress of feeding my seeds installing the power they need
So they grow to be positive out in the dark concrete streets
It’s all so sad to see
Everyday I try to educate the youth
Their role models are gangsters
Fast money makers with the platinum tooth
Educations all you need
You ain't gotta shoot and stab one another
My young sisters and brothers
Explaining to them how they’re the generation
That could make such a significant change
Easing years of suffering and pain
I can only hope they soak in what I say
Or I’ll be informing another parent their child’s passed away
So thanks for the salute and admiring my work sister
Just trying to make the future for us
As a culture a little less bitter.

Co-Written with James Lee Francis-Famous
www.myspace.com/fameakafamous

©8th June 2007 – 01.45am Written by Angela Edgar
WWW.ANGEE.CO.UK All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorised Reproduction Prohibited.