The prison he calls home

His mind was an abyss Of emotions And endless questions Of the world around him He wasn't much of a speaker But he was definitely a thinker His mind was a safe place Where he could speak freely Without being harmed He hated the outside world He was scared if he stepped outside He was afraid the racists might strike So instead he would hide In the comfort of the inside He focused on his survival And to him that meant control Even if his mental health took a toll This fear for a black person was normal Living life shouldn't be a struggle But he wasn't even safe in his home In his dreams his fears wouldn't leave him alone And when he woke up he was haunted by the nightmares he had come to known He was also scared to leave his family alone He was extremely afraid of the unknown Which led to his need for control This is what the system does It instills fear in us Until our minds have turned to the darkness And their hatred consumes us Until we are a shell of what was And that is one of the ways they kill us