Hold You Down

by Tracy Brown

fool has to get burned before he believes that fire is hot.’

Everything that glitters ain’t gold. Sometimes people seem like they’re having a good time when really they’re scared to death. Looking over their shoulders all the time, worrying constantly. No amount of money makes that easy to deal with.”

like this? Every time you get in trouble at school, or the cops chase you, or you get in a fight with some idiot, it’s your aunt that has to deal with that shit. Miss Mercy is like best friends with my mother. I hear the conversations they have in my kitchen about how much she worries about you. She feels like she’s letting your mother down every time you fuck up.”

want to give you mental strength to withstand everything life throws at you.

down and what happens? Everybody says, ‘Don’t cry’; ‘Be a big boy.’ Men never unlearn that shit. We suck it up and keep pushing. But that shit ain’t healthy. Crying doesn’t make you weak. It’s a natural response to all the things you two have been dealing with for years. Grief, guilt, fear, frustration, loneliness, and anger.”