Not a Choice…

You ever lose everything… just so everyone else could keep theirs?

You don’t know what it’s like

Cold nights, no light

Invisible, fightin’ just to stay alive

You call it a choice—I call it “I had no choices left”

You don’t know what it’s like

So don’t tell me I’m fine

You ain’t lived this life

You just watched from the side

Sixteen, one bag, not a word said

Mom’s man said “leave or we all end up homeless”

House wasn’t ours, so I took that threat

Gave up my bed so they never hit the floor

Walked out quiet, carried that pain

Called it love while it slowly felt like loss

Tent for a home, nights feelin’ endless

Gave up my life just to keep theirs protected

You see a runaway—I see a kid payin’ the cost

You see a choice—I see rollin’ the dice

You see the outside—you don’t see inside

What it costs just to say “they’ll be alright”

You don’t know what it’s like

Cold nights, no light

Invisible, fightin’ just to stay alive

You call it a choice—I call it “I had no choices left”

Now I’m outside—say it louder for the back

You ain’t been broke—you just broke for attention

Never missed meals, just skipped you a snack

I was fightin’ for my life, you was fightin’ over stats

Let’s talk facts—

You see “dirty”—I see damage that lingers

You see “lazy”—I see trauma with triggers

You see “he don’t care,” I see no one there

Judge a whole life off a moment—that’s unfair

You learned one story, now you label a million

But you never felt hunger or slept on the street

Never stayed up all night just to feel safe to sleep

Never lost everything just to see others eat

Say “it’s a choice” while you look in my face

Say you never had to choose who deserves it best

Say you never took pain so your family’s blessed

Then tell me I chose this—say it direct

One bad day could turn your life into mine

Ever felt your worth fade with every look?

Whole life judged off a cover they mistook

We ain’t all the same—don’t label us quick

Some of us just tryin’ to survive through it

You don’t know what it’s like

Cold nights, no light

Invisible, fightin’ just to stay alive

You call it a choice—I call it “I had no choices left”

You don’t know what it’s like…

So don’t tell me what it is

Difference is—I lived it, you just scrolled past it

This ain’t a choice…

It’s what’s left when everything else is gone.