The Concrete Rose: A Collection of Poems

The Concrete Rose

They ask me
"What is it like to live in the hood?"
But I know better than to say anything
Instead I point at the rose
that grows
In the concrete

And it is a window into the future
A life without pain
Without asking myself will I see tomorrow?
Or better yet, will tomorrow see me

At first they don't understand
But I don't explain
I wait
And they all smile and say,
I get it now

And with this bare minimum of words
So much has been said
Just like the rose
I will grow
Place my roots in the concrete, but grow

We all hope that we can be the rose
It's just a matter of survival
Knowing that beneath the concrete
There is fertile soil
We just have to reach for it
Deep into the ground.

**This collection is a work in progress, but I'll try my best to add at least one poem daily.