I Was Never Told

I Was Never Told

Darren Boyd Buchanan

I’ve been told a lot of things
That would ruin a person’s self-esteem
Like how I wouldn’t make it to see 18
And graduating from college, a hoop dream

I’ve been told I’d never make it out the hood
That I’d live and die in Englewood
And the world around me possessed no good
So stop imagining the “could” and “should”

But there were things I wasn’t told
Like being bold and setting goals
And refusing to accept a lowly role
To break the cast(e) and change the mold

I was never told that I was heaven sent
That I could leave a mark or make a dent
So I can’t explain what it has meant
To trek the Frozen Continent