Young Man Poem by Ibn Ali

One of these days you're gonna wake up in a grave young man,
Then the praises come,
But all your friends will have to say for you is that you were a very brave young man,
The brazen one,
You stood, you fought, you spent, you bought,
But know the things you strove for's gone,
One of these days!
This knife, that gun, old age,
One of these ways,
You spend your life living out your days,
Then you spend your nights dreaming bout your life,
Is life what you make it?
Tell me what you've made it,
Came on this earth naked,
Now you're covetous, you wanna take things and make them your own,
Make it known,
Young man you're hardly grown, you hardly know,
Your mistakes I've already made,
Appreciate the irony,
You could be many things if God Wills and Desires it,
If you don't die, you'll strengthen, the process is tiring,
Be your own man and not a product of your environment,
We try to smile through strife,
The effects are devouring,
Plant the seed, sow deep,
Then witness the flowering,
See the kids born sweet, then witness the souring,
They say 'time is money' yet fail to appreciate what the worth of an hour is,
The youth, when young and strong, oppress the powerless,
But know that Justice is closer to bravery than arrogance,
Ignorance is a vice and there's virtue in humility,
Young man I hope you're listening,
One of these days........