Skin
dark as night and hard to see
Delicate
words lost in allegory
Powerful
defiance misjudged as anger
Danger,
I have heard about you
You are
not a passive one or the type that will coon
Why do
you walk and talk like that?
Because
in their mind, they have an interpretation of Black
To be
seen and not heard
Caged
like a yellow bird
What is
that word?
Herd,
gathered together and lead where the leader says go
Change
the direction and switch the role
Complexity
of being a Black Man
All
shapes and colors like misplaced sand
Hand and
hand, but our lives are not monolithic
We are
all different and moral codes are intrinsic
If you
are quiet, then you are passive
If you
talk too loud, how harassive
Nice
body, you are attractive
If you
are an intellectual, they can grasp it
As long
as you don’t mention what the past did
Everything
you are now is because of what was then
A system
designed to create the world we live in
Now you
want people to break and bend
Mold
themselves to a certain image
To
belong to a space, place and time that we do not fit in
However,
we press forward with our goals
Whether
the truth is actually told
Creating
our own self-image
Because
it is our God-given privilege
Becoming
better than we were yesterday
Reaching
out a hand and encouraging others along the way
Care in
our hearts for a future, we may never get to see
I pray
their words don’t get lost in allegory
Because
our blood, sweat and tears, will change those defining years
You will
not have to fit a mold, for the world to see
Just be
able to live and walk your path, authentically
By:
Xavier Jonte’ Thompson
