My dear, sweet child

To my future child
Who I have yet to know
I wish I knew what to tell you
In case my touch you'd never know
Or what if your face was never shown
Life's cruel joke
My hope is you never grow up in the same world as me
Don't be quick to judge
I'll tell you what I mean
13 years ago today
On a bright September day
I, your father, was sitting in a classroom at Hayes
I'd be going home soon
As my teachers were protesting their wage
We were escorted out of class
Without ever turning a page
A plane had just been hijacked
And crashed into a tower
At that very moment
We were no longer a superpower
Now a second plane
Then a second and third building
NYC in chaos
As I left school packed on the bus
I felt scared for your aunt
Hopefully not run out of luck
That she just became an officer in blue
And today that day she'd pay her dues
Along with so many others that did their best
To reunite families
Who felt holes in their chest
As the uncertainty kept eating at us all
I your father sat in a hall
After I checked in and knew my family was safe
I left the apartment
Walked around and paced
Standing beside myself
No longer wishing to see the news
It was too much to bear
I began feeling blue
Fast forward 13 years later
Now twice that age
And as I write to you
On this paper
I'll tell you
We've come so far yet taken so many steps back
Detroit is a forgotten city
Our heroes in blue have targets on their back
Where once we were united
We now have never been more divided
On the brink of yet another war
Yet there's constant battles on the home front
I don't know whether to keep you indoors
Or just watch how your brought up
None of this is to scare you
Please believe me and trust
I just want to prepare you for what lies ahead
So that one day I can see you grow old
And tuck your own children safe into bed.