It Ain’t My Fault

Once upon a time there was a child
Who was raised on TV and video games
And allowed to run wild

The parents, who wanted to be called “friend”
Were afraid to say no—
Were afraid to offend

The child did whatever it pleased
Was spoiled by the parents
Who coddled and appeased

Then the child had to go to school
And there encountered structure
And order and rule

The child, to no surprise, threw fits and acted out
The parents, when finally contacted
Having no clout

Said, “It’s on your watch, it’s on your time
Your deal with it. It’s your problem
To us, our child is fine.”

In school, too, the child encountered books
Was perplexed by them
And gave strange looks

To the words and letters on the page
That others understood
The child felt RAGE

The child got older and started skipping school
“It’s not the kids fault,” folks said
“Life causes him to act the fool.

Blame his teachers and the schools
Blame his friends, too
You can’t expect that one to abide by any rule

The child has seen too much violence on TV
And video games which allow you to restart, continuously
And it seems to me

The kid can’t read
It’s not the child’s fault
That’s as plain as can be.”

The child became a teen, as most children do
And in defiance grew bolder
And a lot angrier, too.

The child had friends of a similar sort
Hung out on the streets; got into trouble
Landed in court.

“Not my fault! Not guilty!” the child did cry
The court, inclined to tale pity
Agreed to give the kid another try

The child laughed at the lack of pay
The law wouldn’t touch the kid
This was no cause for dismay

But for a time, the kid tried to stay in school
Tried to learn and grow
But that kind of life just wasn’t cool

Friends and drugs were too strong a pull
Violence meant nothing
Not even cracking a skill

Of someone who accidently bumped into the kid on the street
Yes, the guy deserved a smack down
He deserved to get beat

“It aint’ my fault,” the youth said
“How I suppose to know
The pussy end up dead?

His skull too thin-He got in my way
Ain’t none of it my fault
I shouldn’t had a pay.

The rules aint’ never applied to me
I desensitized to violence
Thanks to movies and games and TV
You cain’t prove nothin’
You gots ta set me free.

Asides, I from a broken home
And my parents
They allow me to roam.

The schools they ain’t help me either
Calls me special ed
Give me a dumb teacher

Why I gotta learn to read and write?
Where math gonna get me?
School be a place to get dats and to fight
That all it ever gunna be

So go ahead judge, give me my probation
I proved it ain’t my fault
It the fault of the nation
You know that all you gunna go
Give me my sentence
Get this thing through

I gots places to go
People to see
Go on now judge, set me free,

The judge, seeing a young adult
Was fed up with those who
Were always trying to cop out
Calmly read the court’s decision
And spoke with an even and quiet precision
Saying in a voice that still cut like a knife
“This ain’t my fault
It’s the law
That’s giving you life.