Barbecue

Take me back to those summers in the early to mid-2000s

Where the barbecue grills in the backyard of that

green colored house on Stengel Avenue blazed with a passion

Hot dogs, burgers, ribs, steaks, and chicken

that would make my mouth water

Pans of collard greens, macaroni and cheese,

and potato salad that could feed an entire block

Old school music playing on the stereo that had everyone grooving

Coolers of ice cold sodas, juices and waters that quenched our thirsts

How could I forget all of us coming together as a family?

No beefs, no indifferences

We all just wanted to have an amazing time

Fast forward to 2018, we don’t even do that no more

Ever since Uncle Robert got hit up in front of the house

Shit just never been the same in this family

We really got torn apart once we lost Nina

I don’t know, man

Shit ain’t been the same no more

I can’t even look at my people the same way I once used to

They don’t act the same

We’re united but we’re not

I lost my touch of family

I feel like they don’t love me no more, vice-versa

I gotta find community in my homies

that I’m signed to a label with

and girls that I meet randomly

Because the community I once was in got decimated and destroyed

Due to petty ass beef and snide remarks

We taking sides, tryna’ choose sides

I had enough

This makes no sense

Why are we so distant

Whenever there’s tragedy

Why do we wait until then to come together and show love

I may never understand it

It hurts me a whole lot

I feel so alone

Because those who swore to protect me

Copped out on me