PERRY BURRELL Poem

If you ain’t never lost a brother, you don’t know how it feels:
I cant sleep, nightmares got me ready to kill.
My mama stressed out, the doctor trying to give her some pills.
If you ain’t never lost a brother, you don’t know how it feels.

A smart young man he just made the wrong choices.
He was always on the block selling rocks and doing wrong.
He didn’t claim “G.D.” or “4,” he claimed Stone.
He had dreams to grow up and ride in Rolls-Royces.
He failed to get rich so he tried again;
But, he stayed on probation ending up in the pen.
He always had money so Vice and Duke used to beg--
Took time out on Easter, we always painted eggs
I remember those Sunday mornings: Waking up all early
to go to church and Bible studies with Miss Shirley.
He was only 16 think of what he could've been;
Ran with a crowd of dudes who wasn’t really his friends.
His mentallity like men—“the streets cant phase me”--
now we blessing bottles in the name of Krazy.

If you ain’t never lost a brother, you don’t know how it feels:
I cant sleep, nightmares got me ready to kill.
My mama stressed out, the doctor trying to give her some pills.
If you ain’t never lost a brother, you don’t know how it feels.

He was a 80's baby: He had the game
Real popular in the projects he had the fame.
Drugs all in the community, he had the ‘caine.
And he didn’t have a dad so he felt the pain.
Not too many sunny days so he felt the rain.
Every school day at Schneider was just the same:
Out scrapping just to show them he wasn’t no lame.
But wasn’t dumb by a long shot, he had the brain.
He used to smoke, drink, bang the block for days--
Report cards came back, he still had good grades.
He had a jumper so serious, always dropping threes…
I never beat him but I got all the memories.
Imagine if he would have put them potentials to good use:
I wouldn’t have to write this song or recite it to you.
I wonder would things be different if my brother was here

If you ain’t never lost a brother, you don’t know how it feels:
I cant sleep, nightmares got me ready to kill.
My mama stressed out, the doctor trying to give her some pills.
If you ain’t never lost a brother, you don’t know how it feels.