Crabs In a Barrel

Got some things I wanna say
So let's get straight to it
Melanin makes em' scared
Ain't no great debate to it

If lobsters are free to roam
Then why are crabs in a barell
If this is the land of the free
Then why the crabs can't travel

Conditioning makes us think
That the crabs are in the wrong
But wouldn't your lungs get tired
If you were singing the same song

Wouldn't your feet get sore
From you running the same race
Wouldn't you have issues with self-love
If you were taught to hate your own race

Wouldn't you be at the Doctor's
Asking for drugs cuz you're depressed
Not realizing the pressure that you feel
Is from your soul being supressed

Wouldn't you pick up the bottle
If your daddy was never there
Cuz he got 20 years for a first-time Misdemeanor
And the Judge & Prosecutor didn't care

And let us not forget
It 's not an excuse but it is sad
That he didn't know the power of who he was
Let alone the power in being a dad

Wouldn't you be a little angry
If the media portrays you as a thug
When you're just on a long misguided path
Searching for love, nurture, and a hug

Wouldn't you be a little lost
If your school system never engaged you
And your mom worked two jobs
So God knows who really raised you
And you never learned emotional control
So anything that strikes a chord will enrage you
And if you ever went to college
That student loan debt has enslaved you
Then they taught you their religion
Not telling you awareness of self is what will save you
Then tell you about slavery
But not about the path your ancestors have paved you
If they threw you in the deep-end
Then tossed in a raft and said they saved you
If you learned you're a pawn in their game
And the only reason they're winning is cuz they played you

If they hire you to work a job
Like they are doing you a favor
As if they didn't build a financial blueprint
From years of your forced free labor

If they portrayed you as a savage
Then convinced the world you are a monkey
And the same place they bogart resources from
They convince you is a third-world country

If there is a reoccurring epidemic
That is so common but is sick
White women are taught to hate black culture
But boy do they love them some black dick

If they sign you up for the Rat Race
But never teach you how to run
And if your pants are kinda sagging
They'll convince themselves you have a gun

If you have a baby really young
They'll look in your face, call you a whore
But make government assistance super enticing
Just to entice you to have some more

If they don't teach you true mathematics
But beat it into you that you are less than
Then when you add it all up
You realize that you are blessed, man

Cuz they can put you in a barell
But can never kill your soul
While they'd love to keep you broken
Looking inside will make you whole

Never let em' clip your wings
Never apologize or say 'I'm sorry'
For doing what you were created to do
Exceling in your God Body


Unless otherwise noted, All content © Brittney Pressley, 2015

Self-Love

Self-love is the best love
I love me, who cares about the rest's love
All around, North, East, South, West love
Smile through it all, that Colgate and that Crest love

It's hilarious, they call you cocky when you love yourself
They'd rather you love some, but not all of yourself
They'd rather you beat yourself up and then shove yourself
Tell em' it doesn't fit, they must acquit, OJ glove yourself

It's not negative to look in the mirror and think "God damn"
You've connected to your beauty through your scars, I mean God damn
Your imperfections make you perfecto, sir or madame
Overcoming pain and guilt make you a masterpiece, I mean God damn

People will try to dim your light and tell you it's not kosher
To be drunk in love with yourself when you tell em' you're not sober
Your confidence drives them crazy but you're not their chauffeur
You've got higher ranking cards but baby this is not poker

You've spent so many years engulfed in self-hate
Hating your body, hating your life, thinking you're not great
Thinking you weren't good enough and that was not innate
Someone put that all on you, transferring their dead weight

So that hate was permeating from the inside
"You're not worth it" is what negative self-talk implied
Your thoughts were dark and all of your actions complied
You were going through the motions taking absolutely nothing in stride

But then you had this bright moment, a coming to Jesus
A moment when pigs start to fly and hell finally freezes
A moment when you realize no one can actually love you to pieces
Until to start to love yourself, a come into your genius

You start to abandon insecurity and examine your heart
You start to realize you are worth it, bullseye from the dart
You start to embrace your quirkiness as succulent art
You understand that every dumb choice is what made you smart

Now when you wear confidence there will be haters and doubters
Who liked you better when you were negative, so they hate louder and louder
They try to keep you on their level so they throw you depressants and downers
But you cut that cord and they are pissed you took back all of your power


Even though love binds the universe, human love is subjective
Everyone's definition of what love is, is from their own perspective
Judging whether you're worth love by someone's actions would be ineffective
It has to be judged by your own energy in order for it to be not defective

Even still, being loved by anyone should not define you
How much you learn to love yourself will actually align you
Then you can feel infinite love from God, that's the Divine you
Anyone who doesn't understand this whole poem will confine you
Say hello to 'aggressive you' and goodbye to 'benign you'
Have fun connecting to your purpose that was assigned you
Try not to be offended next time someone declines you
You validate yourself no one else needs to cosign you



Unless otherwise noted, All content © Brittney Pressley, 2015