Prodigal Son
He was born Joseph
Became better known as Box
He was a cool and clever guy,
he was crafty and cunning as a fox
Fell in love with the bouncing basketball,
and with the sound of the sneakers on the court
He had the talent to be a college star,
but in the classroom, his jumpers always came up short
Not that he couldn't do the school work,
not that he couldn't pass the tests
If it didn't swish to his way of thinking,
well, my brother really could care less
Brother started going down the wrong track,
when he wouldn't heed what our parents said
And since he no longer feared getting the strap,
the cruel, mean streets became his teacher instead
Prodigal son,
prodigal son
Traded away a peaceful life for an empty handgun
Prodigal son,
prodigal son
Became a wild wild west rebel always on the run
But life in the streets didn't treat him good,
dangerous friends, trip wire neighborhoods
Female booby traps, ghetto land mines everywhere
One wrong misstep, let the funeral songs blare
At the bewitching hour with the law closing in,
my brother finally saw the Light, saw the true face of sin
He finally rose up from the mire, all the filth that covered his soul
Calling on the name of Jesus, giving to Him total control
Prodigal son,
prodigal son
Traded away a lengthy jail sentence for quiet freedom
Prodigal son,
prodigal son
Returned back home and was embraced by everyone
He became a minister, an ambassador for Jesus Christ,
preaching against violence and hate as a way of life
He became a loving father, he became a loving son,
he became a best friend brother, no longer a rebel on the run
Box became Joseph again
He came back from the dead
and started witnessing
My lost brother became the prodigal son
We love the man he now is,
God loves the man he has become
A tribute to my beloved brother Joseph
Copyright © Freddie Robinson Jr. | Year Posted 2016
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