Let black boys,

Be boys.

Let them color outside of the lines.

If sunflowers

Sprout from their mind,

Provide sunlight.

Let black men,

Be men.

Let them smile with their eyes.

If sensitivity

Lies within their hands,

Provide acceptance.

Let black fathers,

Be daddies.

Let them hold families on their shoulders.

If leadership,

Rests upon their hearts,

Provide nourishment.

In America, we only let black boys

See glimpses of black men

Through cellar doors, prison bars, lnnanet screens, weekends.

Mama's hurt words.

So you see, your little black boy is looking into a mirror,

And seeing a distorted view.

Let him sing with his entire heat.

(If he so chooses)

Let him dance like no one is watching.

The world is his stage, but stop making him for mass consumption.

Renting and pimping his body out so that the world can elevate off of his pain and bloodshed.

Stop riding and deriding his genitalia all beneath the guise of "manhood"

Castrating and degrading his intelligence so that he is stuck in your boxed-in experience of blackness.

So for now,

Let your black boy hold your hand.

Allow your sunflower to blossom.

Cherish his youth,

For it won't be long .....