Streets Taught Me What School Never Could

No bell rang No teacher stood But every corner Had a lesson The street Didn’t teach me math But I learned What hunger multiplies It didn’t test With paper It tested With pain I knew early That smiles can lie That footsteps behind you Aren’t always friendly School never told me How to bury a friend Or how to walk With no light at the end Streetlights Flickered like hope There, Then not Every block Had a story Every face Held a fight I saw kids Turn ghosts Before they could spell Their own names I saw kindness Die quietly In boys Who once shared bread And I learned That soft hearts Break faster When no one’s watching The street Was a teacher That didn’t care If you passed or survived You don’t graduate