Born broken beneath brutality’s breath,
Backed by a bottle and a bastard’s wrath,
Bruised by the booze, beat by the belt,
Buried in betrayal, begging for help.
But the Bible became my battered backbone,
Bled through the verses, built me a home.
But pain paints pictures that prayer can’t blur,
Pops was poison, and mama was a murmur.
From the Empire’s edge to the echoes of faith,
Faced down fate, never folded or fake.
From chaos and caskets to carrying crowns,
Climbed out the cinders while others stayed down.
Friends fell fast in the felon fog,
Fake love, fists, and forgotten dogs.
Gang ties gripped me, gunshots sang,
Still I stood, stained by the sirens’ bang.
Still standing in the silence, with scars in my skin,
Still searching for salvation through the storm within.
So much shattered, so much stolen, still I spit through the spin
But it’s hard to heal the heart when the hurt won’t end.
She smiled while stabbing, sweet in disguise,
Sold me a dream, full of secrets and lies.
Loyal like Lazarus, lifted her life,
While she lit the match and lied with the knife.
Cheated, conceited, concealed her sin,
Cold contradictions wearing sugar-thin skin.
Aborted my heart with a hug and a grin,
Then buried the truth and blamed it on him.
Kids caught in chaos, caged in the flame,
Craving calm, but cursed by her name.
Two little lights in the dark I defend,
But I’m losing myself just trying to pretend.
Torn by the teachings that tell me to stay,
While my soul slowly withers away.
Still I suffer, still I strive,
Still I stay stuck just to keep them alive.
Still standing in the silence, with scars in my skin,
Still searching for salvation through the storm within.
So much shattered, so much stolen, still I spit through the spin —
But it’s hard to heal the heart when the hurt won’t end.
Spine snapped… soul strained…
Pain permanent, but I play through the pain.
From concrete curbs to kennel codes,
Kept it clean while others sold.
Built a bloodline, bred with pride,
But even that can’t kill what I hide inside.
Now I’m numb, navigating night with no name,
Faith flickers faint in the face of this flame.
Tired of trying, tormented by truth,
Trapped in a time where I’m stripped of my youth.
Made a name from nothing but grit,
But what’s legacy when you don’t fit?
I gave the game structure, soul, and sound
But I’m stuck in a silence that screams too loud.
Still I spit scripture, still I seek sky,
Still I break bread though I’m broken inside.
Still I father with fire, though I’m falling apart,
Still I lead the lost with a lion’s heart.
But damn…
When does the weeping stop whispering in waves?
When do warriors win without digging their graves?
Still standing in the silence, though the sound is loud,
Still screaming in the shadows, still searching the clouds.
Still stitched to the sorrow, still strapped in the spin,
Still walking through the war, but I don’t know if I win.
I’m not okay…
But I’m still here.
And sometimes,
That’s all that matters.
Mario_Maldonado
