Struggle

Listen to my struggle,
I am a 40-year-old black man
I was taught not to believe, associate, or trust the white man
And now I am thrown into a sea of white people
Who I don’t know or understand
When I see their faces
I can hear my father telling me his horror stories

“The white man killed my daddy, dragged him out of the house in front of me and ma sister. They put a rope around his throat and hung him up in the yard. If you let the white man get close, he’ll do the same ta you! It’s his nature to hate us. The white man leaves crosses burning. They don’t know God. They are tools of the devil! Don’t be a fool to think change happens so quickly! If they had it their way we’d all be slaves or shipped back to Africa.”

I was raised to fear the white man
And now I walk around in fear everyday.
I walk around a sea of people who think I can aspire no higher than
BETs best new rapper
An NBA basketball star
Sure black people can be successful,
But only in some areas of life
What if I want to be a lawyer?
Or a doctor?
Or an accountant?
Or elementary school teacher?
Unheard of right?
Sometimes I feel like maybe the white man does want to bring me down
Maybe my dad was right
But when did we-
Become the new racists?
I’d like to think it’s all not true
But some days it’s hard not to

Listen to my struggle
I am a southern white teenager
My dad raised me on a farm
And loves the south, he never wants to move
He stands behind president George Bush
Hell, he’s stood behind every president we’ve had
He’s the leader of our country after all
My dad’s a Christian
Religion is a priority in his life
And my brother is fighting in the war
We support that
So, that makes us racist?
When I walk around the hallways at school
I get called a hick, bigot, KKK, ignorant, and intolerant
I’m none of those things
People judge me before they know me
Just because I listen to country doesn’t mean I hate anyone
I try not to pay anyone any mind
They don’t know me
They don’t know I have a little sister who’s black
Well technically she’s my cousin
She’s an orphan and my dad took her in and saved her from the system
And I love her
And I’ll always protect her
I don’t hate anyone
I just love my country
Since when is that wrong?

Listen to my struggle
I am a liberal
And I’m a lesbian
Everyone thinks I hate my country
I love my country
I make signs,
I chant,
I protest
Because I want to see change in this country
To improve our country
Because I care
Why else would I devote my time?
I want to see this country aspire as high as it can.
I don’t hate my country
In fact I think I love it more
Than the majority who just sit back
And take their freedoms for granted

Listen to my struggle
I am a black woman
And a feminist
I am a feminist in the sense that I believe women have the ability to be
Whoever they choose to be
I don’t hate men
But I do have it hard
I’m told that I am at the lowest part of the social chain
Black
And female
So people assume I’m a cannon of fire and hate
Waiting to be set off
Ready to kill any man who stands on my way
Wanting nothing more than to push man down
Into oblivion
No, I want equality
I want men and women to be equal
Not sugar coated equality
I mean I want to have the same pay as a man for the same job
I want to see more women take positions of power
I want gender not to matter in our society
In every sense
If a woman kills someone
She deserves the same penalty as a man
I don’t hate anyone
And I don’t just want the sugar side of equality
I want it all

Listen to my struggle!
I walk around and hear your stories!
I listen to your pasts,
Your point of views,
Your truth!
I observe your conflicts,
Your resolutions,
Your frustrations,
Your pride!
I hear your passions,
Your regrets,
Beliefs.
And morals!
Now listen to my resolution
To your struggle!
Listen to yourselves!
Because the true struggle
Is our own inability
To listen to
Each other’s
Struggle