it should be more about
who i am
than what i am,
agree?
see, i could survive
being you
but could you exist
being me?
i'm hated and shunned
just for my skins' hue
no matter what i say
it doesn't matter what i do
but you lie in the sun
to darken your complexion
and acquire fuller features
with collagen injections
do you see the contradiction
the incongruity
you wont admit that you do
but i know that you see
our situation is different
from any other race's claims
they fought and died to get here
we were brought here in chains
oppressed and depressed
whipped and hanged
literally and figuratively
and the scars remain
and you say forget it
it's all in the past
but we're still second class citizens
in a country built on our backs
but above all that
and this is what's magnificent
we're so much more alike
than we are different
Author notes
I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Racism is man's gravest threat to man - the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason.
Abraham Joshua Heschel
“At the heart of racism is the religious assertion that God made a creative mistake when He brought some people into being”
Friedrich Otto Hertz
“The biggest problem though out the history of man is the fact that racism is anything but an anomaly.”
Erik Hansen
“As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it - whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, he is trash.”
Harper Lee
“But suppose God is black? What if we go to Heaven and we, all our lives, have treated the Negro as an inferior, and God is there, and we look up and He is not white? What then is our response?”
Robert Kennedy
A contest entry
- Racism and its effects.PWs allowed by Misskaoz.
650 points, ended November 5, 20 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 12 of 12
-
T R U E!
ALL I CAN SAY TO THIS POEM IS TRUE, AND SINCE I'M A WOMAN, I'LL ADD SOMETHING ELSE. THE FIRST SHALL BE LAST AND THE LAST SHALL BE FIRST.
(LOL) -
-
Hmm?
Basic Instincts Before Leaving Earth... Thanks for the read and the comment.
-
-
Powerful!
It is as if you read my innermost thoughts and feeling and instead of me having to write them down, you did it for me. I feel every word so emotionally placed on this page. And yes, we are more alike than different. In God's garden there are many hues and why some deem that the lighter ones are more glorious is beyond me. The deeper crimson and blue-black roses are indelible and leave a stain. That has to account for something. I do believe that there will come a day when diversity is embraced instead of shunned. Exquisite work dear poet! I wish you well in the contest. This should garner a chalice for sure!
BRAVO!
Much Love Always ♥
Renee
-
-
Thank you, Renee...
You have a way of making an artist believe just a smidgen more in their creations. Thank you for such a kind comment. I hope my attempt can absorb and reflect your praise.
-
-
This was really good, flowed well and the point you made was real and strong. Great job
-
-
Thank you
I am pleased that you did like my attempt. Thanks again for your reading and for your comments.
-
-
Same difference makes pertinent points poetically, it isn't enraging but engaging truisms that trickle and filter through the unveiled reality. I especially liked the last three lines that closed the poem by holding a mirror up so that the readers may see their own reflections.
-
-
Thanks
I am truly glad that you enjoyed my write, and I that you can see it wasn't meant to enrage. Thanks again for your comments.
-
-
Spectacular!
You are a very talented writer indeed. I would like to see this piece expanded. It seems to me there were many aspects that you could have worked in, and still worked it as good as it. This piece is astounding. The form is great, the flow is spectacular. The intermittent rhyme is a nice touch. This would make for a wonderful homage to this particular history. Well done! Let me know if you decide to work on this and expand it. I would read it, even if it was half a books length.
-
-
Thank you very much!!
You say the most wonderful things, and I thank you. I did consider expanding on this write. But it wont be anytime soon. Thank you again...
-
-
I really like this poem, I enjoyed the flow and form very much. I especially like that you rhymed magnificent and different. It really works. Thanks for entering my contest and Good Luck.
-
-
Thank you
I appreciate your comment. I could have written for days on this prompt. There are so many different aspects I wanted to address, but I tried to keep it short. GREAT PROMPT!!
-
Adding your comment:
1 - 12 of 12
