A rag ball in a puddle
_____
A cheeky smile, a kick
_____
Running down the hill, a hoop
_____
And the sky in a kid's eyes
_____
A slingshot that shoots hope
_____
A sparrow in shorts, sly
And the power of being a child
_____
Against the force of a cop, who's a brute
_____
They look like flocks of loose sparrows
_____
They're like Indians, captains of the gang
_____
They sit on Dad's lap
_____
And they hear him talk about the new man
They're the kids of this people
_____
Bottle caps shining in the hand
_____
The urge that leaps to the axle
_____
And a kid who says no
_____
If a beating comes I won't allow it
_____
A hidden marble at school
_____
A top in a colorless pocket
_____
And a kid who begs
_____
'Cause hunger muffles his pain
_____
They look like flocks of loose sparrows
_____
They're like Indians, captains of the gang
_____
They sit on Dad's lap
_____
Tenderness comes back
_____
And they hear him talk about the new man
They're the kids of this people
_____
They sit on Dad's lap
_____
And they hear him talk about the new man
They're the kids of this people
_____
Learning to be men