NEGRO JOE (A Young Man’s Epiphany)

Went on down to Tupelo, 
That’s where I met old Negro Joe
Living destitute in the alley
Cashing checks from his old lady Sally
Drinking watered down bourbon
From a paper bag
 
When he saw me he grunted a sound
Visual silence surrounded the crowd
He rose to speak on his trembling feet
Joe had the band and controlled the beat
So I pulled up a milk crate and listen to what he had to say
 
Son I’ve been here for sixty-nine years
I’ve felt the sorrows and I’ve seen the fears
Fading glimpse of suburban joys were
Shattered one day when they told me boy
The only place to rent were the tenements down the road
 
With every failure, the letdown was hard
With every project and restaurant, I was charred 
I’d pull myself up by my bootstraps
But my heart was heavy with every bad rap
I tried to play the game by the rules that didn’t apply to me  
 
Years of frustrations waiting for a break
Giving more than I could take
Keep flashing back to sixty-three
The Selma riots were dear to me
I lost a sister in a burned-out church in Birmingham
 
Joe started losing his train of thoughts
So I summarized the final result
The thesis that you reap only what you sow
Was buried right there with one old man’s blow
Sometimes the garden is planted before you inherit the farm
 
A man needs beliefs and dreams to live
Needs a purpose in order to give
His heart and soul, blood and sweat
If you’re not part of it you die with regret
Drinking watered down bourbon
from a paper bag