Black
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The Paragliders like ravenous vultures flewto southern Israel to predate on soft targets.Like swarms of bees, they snuck, raped, maimed, shot, burnt and slew.Terror did every man's fragile conscience becloud.
Don’t smile with me if you don’t want to
Because I am not a mirror
Don’t be like a bluffer who gives me a black smile
Unlike the south
We are
From the Congos
We all emerged - Beautiful
Our feet stamping the grounds and breath humming
With our tongues
We spoke words that shocked the havens
Block this, block that
Black this, black that
I am sick and tired
Of seeing the hatred
Unlike,
Snow White in the celebrated enchanted story,
my sable sista sports a coiled crown of glory.
She use to press her strands straight, or
level her thick crinkled mane with lye.
Nobody wants to be blocked
In front of the gate of Heaven
Even the worst criminals, on the block
For a pass, cringe, mourn and yearn.
Roses are black,
Violets are blue,
Like the hue of my skin
Since I got stuck on you.
Your soul is still black,
My heart is still blue,
But I got away,
I hope they do too.
Black,
White.
Muslim,
Christian.
Rich,
Poor.
We are covered in labels,
And drowning in sterotypes.
We can't break free,
From the painful lies.
My skin is white,
The last breath I take
The last smile I fake
The last step I walk
The last hand I hold
My body slowly turning cold
The last breath I take
The last smile I fake
The last step I walk
The last hand I hold
My body slowly turning cold
The last breath I take
The last smile I fake
The last step I walk
The last hand I hold
My body slowly turning cold
I’m not Black enough
Yet my hair grows like a crown atop my head
Watered with the tears of my ancestors
Who used their crowns to guide them to freedom
Is this life just?
Or just us
clining onto
misguided hope
for justice?
are we decieved
by misdeeds?
or sadly guided
by missed deeds?
How does one fill a void inside?
Who is there in which I can confide?
I'd like to say I need to swallow my pride,
But there's none left, so now I'll just hide.
I have no distinct poetic agenda
Upon the earth I wonder,
With a curious mind that can't help but linger
They birth thoughts that haunt me
I am the revolution
My existence is our context
My existence is the very thing they were afraid of.
I've done nothing wrong
But breathe the air I thought was free
And walk in a world I assumed was safe.
Oluwatoyin is you,
Oluwatoyin is me.
She was pretty and vocal,
She was elegant and direct.
As gorgeous as the light glistening on a beach wave,
As youthful as the child playing outside.
Oluwatoyin is you,
Oluwatoyin is me.
She was pretty and vocal,
She was elegant and direct.
As gorgeous as the light glistening on a beach wave,
As youthful as the child playing outside.
Turmoil,
It’s a-a-a word all too familiar to me
The turbulent soul with hair like wood grain
Sometimes
Sometimes it’s more orderly, less entropic
I am black.
Correction, my skin is black.
Another correction, my skin is actually dark brown but in the eyes of society, it’s black.
Black like the tar that’s laid out on the concrete of the streets.
My dear, do not tell me I deserve better than your love. That your heart does not shine bright enough to reflect mine. For my heart only shines this brightly because it had to been burned.
I Have A Dream ..... One day I hope to walk across the street
And the only profiling I have to deal with is which picture catches me in the right light
She has come to the realization that she has failed her DNA,
but who is she to blame for subconsciously signing the treaty
claiming one side of her victor over the other?
Was it the books,
Dreaming under the rainbow
Crash from the high
There’s a tear upon your face
But do you remember why you cried?
Dreaming under the rainbow
Where are you?
You promised that you’d stay with me,
may ayimafro-germanpoetessayist established theterm "black german" until then germans wouldcall a person of color a "neger" however oneof the most inspiringtalentstook her own life: august 91996 that's it. god bless youmay ayim
dear black folks i want to be white dear white folks iwant to be black dear halfcastes i want to be black and white at the same time (much love to my kids) dear jews i want to be a muslim dear muslims i want to be a jew can you help me out bro
Children of the lion. Biding to be free. The motherland of the people. Cries with the trees.
All sad stories start the same
Kinda starts a while back
On a bench you could be asked
“How does it feel to be black?”
My right-side brain's growing fowers,
my lungs are sprouting roots.
My heart's a dripping beehive,
its sweetness all for you.
So wrap it all up in paper,
send a burnt offering to the sky.
1. a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some
natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.
The boogeyman is real
just not quite in the way we think
he is not a behemoth of green flesh
no,
the boogeyman wears blue.
He does not linger underneath her your bed
he roams in the open world
When I woke up one day,
I realized,
my personality wasn't the same as usual.
I had never acted this way before.
When I woke up,
my reflection stood over me, looking down on me.
I felt small,
Soy un viento Fuerte pero suave, fluyendo a través de la vida Callado como un susurro Soy el sol Radiante pero a veces apagado, desanimado de la vida Roto como una luz titilante Soy un árbol Alto pero inseguro, temblando con el caos de la v
I learned a long time ago
That the night only brings fear
As i walk through the city of New York
It seems to be that i am the only shadow that is creeping
Dear God,I don’t understand my purpose,I don’t even know what’s destined for me, I don’t know why you have given me this life,But can you help me understand?Can you lead me down a path,Regardless of trials or tribulations,To become the woman I’m s
How deep in that cave should i wander
The fork stabs me; i see two paths set before
Harsh light lining my sight
His Blight
Like a newborn sun rising off in the horizon in an aberrant, pink blaze
How deep in that cave should i wander
The fork stabs me; i see two paths set before
Harsh light lining my sight
His Blight
Like a newborn sun rising off in the horizon in an aberrant, pink blaze
I am wild,
I am a black woman.
I have a unique beauty,
I am a black woman.
Resilience is what they use to describe me,
I am a black woman.
I have beautiful natural curls,
I am a black woman.
Another line written
another test taken
no one could see what i think
until I found your black ink
When I was young I used pen
because I thought my work was perfection
My hair is too short and I’d rather have blonde hair
I love my body
I have too many pimples on my face
I love my body
my skin is too dark, I’d rather be white
I love my body
Look at my face
Look at
This
Face
I know her
These thin lips
Small eyes
Large cheeks
My eyelashes are short
But long enough for their purpose
I' ma lover, not a fighter,
I said it all the time,
Keep smiling, push through, ignore it,
I didn't even realize,
That wading through life like this was the fight,
Checked in the mirror, but I looked fine
I remember I was 10 when he died
The lost and deaths led to stress and heart suicide
Barely made it to 17
All the the accomplishments and hopes lost in the stream
I remember I was 10 when he died
The lost and deaths led to stress and heart suicide
Barely made it to 17
All the the accomplishments and hopes lost in the stream
I’ve been fighting for years. To overcome certain fears. That aren’t only mines but also have my mother in tears. To believe that I am black. And one day when I leave the house I may never come back. To think one day everything can go off track.
if only i had a pencil,
i could write my way out of the ghetto.
if only i had a pencil,
i could explain the voices in my head that scream in falsetto.
if only i had a pencil,
Armies of men fall at the feet of Beauty, and we're taught that women are weak.
Men watch their brothers transform into monsters, and we're taught that real men don't cry.
I can’t see anything, for I am sleeping.
I can’t feel anything, for I am dreaming.
I’m breathing, I’m breathing.
Chest in, chest out.
The darkness surrounds me in a beautiful blanket of security and love.
Our darkened skin this phase which is the most prime phase will never end
love your skin God created you in, with all that melanin we will never become
evanescent
Laughing Jack strikes me down
One of my nightmares
Pitch Black controls my movements
One of my nightmares
My ex-boyfriend from Youtube RP finds me in person
One of my nightmares
But they aren't real
The Irony in this Nation
How a color
A sound
Can trigger someone’s mind to hate
The accusations and discrimination that holds a great sense of problem in this white nation
All my life I thought
Did I my color really matter
No matter how much I had
On my plate
I gave my all to the ones I loved
Serve myself on a platter
I try not to stumble
To my dear black boy,
I felt your body tense the moment the wailing of the siren rang in our ears
The hate you give may be
The hate you'll receive
You give what you get,
You get what you give.
So often, this philosophy.
-
And so, molded by hate,
I become what I hate.
Why does this happen?
I'm so sick of the justice system being so "just us." My people constantly locked in or locked out. Blissful ignorance chose by so many with white skin. So many could care less, and still others choose to ignore and block out...oh so careless.
Black don't crack, our spirits can't be broken. I'm not your nigger, I'm not your token. I'm never voiceless, I'm outspoken. I only bow down to God, never no man.
Look around, what do you see?
So many different shades of colors
Each with a face and a different story
Constantly judged by appearance and the way we look
But let me tell you who I am because I'm not an open book
this is America don’t catch you slipping, NOthis is Americawhere aks do the talking where Krazy Krooked Kut from a differ
Yes! People hear these rumors that black people are ghetto, poor, stupid, and just plain old UNEDUCATED.
Because of our skin color, we get judged.
Once there was a kid
He was so lost in the world
He did not understand the unspoken rules
He did not know why people looked at him funny
Or why females clutched their purses while he walked by
No Comment
Running down blocks
Chasing through streets
Pulling off covers
Ripping up sheets
I went to look for my boy last night
You saw him play, step high, make strides
"Black is the absence of color."
The absence of color is merely an attempt to describe something in words that doesn't fit any label.
Black is sweater that slims you down, tucks in your thighs.
At the early hour
Hearts are still
Echos are devoured
The air is chill
This campus is not hers
She's not the right kind
But she just wants
To get to class on time
Muslims, Catholics, Buddhists, Christians
All face the same problem if you mention
Their skin is darker than the other ones
Past is heavy, shit feels like a ton
Whether in Africa, Asia, or the Carribean
I am curvy and nerdy
Self-esteem a little sturdy
Hmm.. can 't even count how many times I've been told I have a body that people pay for
Poetry has taught me to be free,To be completely me,Poetry told me, "Don't worry about this or that."Poetry whispered in my ear and said,
My identity came with those around me because the ink cartridges on my skin weren’t enough
I am not black like the other black boys and girls
Chocolate girl, love your skin
Amber glow radiates from within
Your blackness, of which others are ashamed
Is your refusal to conform or be the same
Don't lose your head,
lose your temper,
lose your life,
end up dead.
Mama cries for her husband, son, daughter
a hoodie,
a similar face
all excuses for manslaughter
Dysfunctional Family
Let me introduce you to a family
They're one of a kind.
You learn to love and respect them once you get a look at their dysfunctional minds.
Let's meet dysfunctional dad.
I heard you was born in Brooklyn, Some know it as Crooklyn,You was a rich, dark color called black,
Dear Colored People,
Colored or not! We are people and should be treated as so.
Colored or not! I still have to take on the many challenges that come within a day.
To Whom It May Concern,
Will someone free my father? This isn’t fair!
They won’t free my husband, does anyone care?
I went to see him today and I saw that cold stare
Bald isn't a curse!
Hair seems to be the epitome of beauty
Keeping it kept up seems to be a woman's duty
Keep it long keep it thick
Edges laid edges slicked
Outside yea its brick
Would it be hard?
Would it be hard to accept who you are?
Would it be hard to realize that you have a natural, big curvaceous body?
Some say I’m intelligent
But I just feel irrelevant
Some say I’m well-spoken
But they haven’t seen the side of me still broken
The broken side
It’s not okay
You know, it’s just not
It’s not okay that I can’t just be me
You say that me is all I can be
But, then, tell me why I can’t be me when I’m with thee.
The color of my skin has caused a lot of people to hate me
The dark brown reflection in my eyes is abhorred.
I walk along the paved streets only to be discriminated against
A drop of poison
Turns into bucket fulls
Sinking
Deep
Into the ocean.
Its deepest pits
Caught slipping
Silhouettes
Of rocks
Secrets
And algae.
Broken words and glass
I help other people
Putting others before myself.
My fire thaws their ice away.
They get too close...
You should never get too close to fire.
Hot burning sparks
Cause
Eyes cold as
Concrete
Even when not walking the streets
The halls
So closed off
From the poverty we breath
Considered clean
Cuz the sheen
Easier's to see
Away from the hood
We were fine,
My mother had money,
Built a new house,
We lived in a good, thriving neighborhood.
We didn't know what we escaped would slowly creep up on us.
Gunshots echoed across our community
You wake up in the morning, terrified to leave your home
‘cause you know someone will shoot you if you’re out on your own.
You contemplate wearing that black hoodie in your closet,
Do you know how it feels to be black? Keeping one eye over your back.
The cops stopped my brothers and I in our tracks. "Hey, where are you heading?" We were heading home where prejudice and racial injustice did not exist.
I am Black
A race named after the richness of skin
A race deemed unclean
And for centuries; believed so
What does it mean to be Black?
We talk of how the pen is mightier than the sword.
So why does the ink in my skin continue to be cut by the whit-hot blade of racism?
My hair is black as vanilla bean.
Once upon a time...There lived a beautiful blonde babyWith skin kissed by the sun Her black is more beautiful than goldAs the story
You know......
It's f*cked up when you realize that every adjective that describes you has to be justified and equalized through a movement.
From women's rights, to civil rights, and gay rights,
tiana didn't ask for a prince
she was an entrepeneur
she didn't ask for her best friend to be a rich white girl
but she took it with grace
she wasn't supposed to turn into a frog
In the mind's eye, I can see naught but a raindrop,Reflecting an emerald world as, on a blade of grass, it is atop.
When the luminous rays of the fireball so many miles away just glistens off of your brown skin...
It often forces the mind to wander to distant sacred places that can only be found within...
Once Upon A Time...
There was a princess named Rapunzel
Born of a Black father and a White mother, Rapunzel was praised for her curly hair
Natural curls
The more I don't understand, the more I start to resent.
I feel hatred overpowering the love in my soul.
And my heart descends from red to black coal.
I have no culture.
No, apparently this is possible:
For one to have NO culture.
Because culture is based on social
Groupings based on mutual
Ethnicity, Language, Culture, Interests, Music, Ideals...
Crying.
Constant tears.
Cruelty as far as the eye can see.
How come nobody helps me.
How can nobody see.
I’m in pain.
Back home all I saw was black.
Now I have traveled and where is the black?
To the lady in green holding her light proud,
I wave and she waves back
I have come to a land of fake, wack, lack but not black.
dear you,
beautiful black woman
you woke up to a nightmare, november ninth
Born into a place that depicits my race as something bad, as something less than them.
Born into a place that thrives on the white face.
That white is pure and anything of color is a disgrace.
Sometimes I wonder what it’d be like if I was white
I believe my life would completely change if I was white
I wouldn’t be closely watched as I walk through a store, if I was white
Whoever came up with the name America the Great, I would like to ask you what makes it so great?
The fact that it’s full of hate?
They told me that I was the product of hundreds of years of pain and suffering,That from the blood of my ancestors, I was given Eyes the color of mud,Hair like a sheep,The complexion of an ape,An inherent lust,A body that should be covered,A cultu
Bieng black is like being labeled as bad
As if there's a choice about your color of skin
As if you could cahnge it like 1,2,3
A battle that seems like it cannot be winned
It time to see
I once believed in the American Dream. Now its dead, like Malcolm and the King. I have a dream. One day, freedom will ring.
It took a bug flying into my hair
To make me realize.
A little beetle,
Brown,
And scared,
As I frantically untangles it from my mane.
I buzzed way,
Barely escaping suffocation
Just like a heartbeat,
white people are born with white privilege,
Looking at me
you would never guess
that I am 50% Hispanic,
According to my Maybelline foundation stick,
Dear America, You kidnap me from my home and family in my motherlandYou stuff me under your ships for months and set sail for a New WorldYou ruffle my feathers and force me into your fields You sell me as a slave for way less than my worth You be
I never ever claimed to be a lyrical genius or one who spit words from the top of my cranium that could make you so furious because the truth has the effect to cause major pain in sum.
He's using his peer influences to abuse the chances that he was given
Life lessons run through his head you can tell he's feeling resentment
Aggravating headaches he seems to neglect propriety
Our core beliefs
Which were once priorities
Have come to change towards minorities
The greatest weapon is compliance
Yet that is the same thing that brings sirens
We are picked off one by one
BLACK with no Regret
I'm Black With No Regret
And maybe my shoulders scream it too
Or maybe it's in our stride
And strong voice and afros
I'm Black With Some Regret
when I was little I used to dream
of being married and living
Happily ever after, a Queen
that sits on her throne with Pride
glittering in sparkling
daylight, shining blue,
pink, silver, and golden
You want me to pledge allegiance to the flag..A flag what’s patriotism should have disguised to meThat it was bred to
The parallels of wooden window frames
Race up the sides of luminescent figures
While the blinds sway microscopically in a
Nonexistent breeze.
Not a breath blowing
The pair
Posed like dolls,
I place my hand on my heart and my arm on my back
and I begin to sing then I begin to reflect
on all the people who gave their lives so I could live
So I could come to this event where all these people
March 6, 2017:
Sorrowful living is a long, desolate path
It’s where you’ll never really feel complete, but you don’t do much to fight it
Because, though you just want to be happy, you don’t know where to begin
Hello,
I’m not a coon or a savage
And I don’t live in the projects or eat chicken and watermelons for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
No, I don’t live on the “block” and sell dope.
They say “make America great again”
Again? As if there was ever a time in which America was great
I am a minority
You watch me cry
all my dreams...they're just a lie
you crush my heart and watch me die
I am a minority
forced to keep my eyes toward the sky
I see potential, I see the prize
My people hunted here,
Where white people now stand,
And where are my brothers,
In Oklahoma, where we were pushed away.
My friends are hated,
For being black, Asian or Hispanic,
BLACK ALICE: A TRIP MUSHROOM CANT EVEN CREATE:
I Woke up from a lie
programmed to seal my vision
I see clear as day now, Im wide awake
Indigo and Crown
lift your hat to see your 3rd eye
My skin. Look at my skin. What am I? I am a mixed girl in a obscure world. When I would play on the playground. Small, this high, my wide eyes didn’t yet recognize the lies.
Black In America.
i felt it for the first time.
how Ironic.
I was always Black In America.
Black body born, happy birthday
Black baby's first cry
Black girl in a white man's world
Black eye from daddy's toxic masculinity rectifies
i wrap my self up in my own love
because i never found someone who could love me as much
constant target on my back
media telling me my black is wack
but their wrong
you see my black is strong
Who am I?
Who are you?
What are we?
I love you
and you love me
but we are both trapped in our imminent dreams.
As different as we are
our dreams are one in the same.
Smashed windows
Town stores burned to the ground
Streets blocked
Cars as our stepstools
This is not peaceful
Ruined views
Torn down pews
Yelled, screamed, shouted your brother’s name
I want to hold
I want to kiss
I want to touch
I want to rub
I want to cuddle
I want to stare
I want to smile
I want to laugh
I want to LOVE
I lie here and I think about what we could of had,
you were like a puzzle to me that I wish to put together
you always seemed down, and I wanted to bring you up
you seemed to be lost, and I thought I found you
Just because I'm black doesn't mean I do drugs ,
Just cause I'm not fair skin I know I am still loved.
Just because my hair is not soft like silk doesn't mean I'm worthless ,
My beauty comes from within .
knee deep in your fire
and choking on ashes.
my words are spilling out -
i am spitting out grey smoke.
insides charred
from the pain you inflict,
black.
poisoned muzzle,
clenching jaw
I am dark and lovely.
My skin glows with melanin.
It is naturally unique.
I am dark and lovely.
My hair is full of natural kinks, coils, curls.
I don't need a relaxer.
Little girl on a hill, be still
Little girl on a hill, be still
For the shadows are here
For the shadows smell fear.
Little girl on a hill, be still
Little girl on a hill, be still.
A life time of ignorance,
discrimination whispered into the billowing breeze,
my articulation better than those of 'my kind',
the prejudice that is passed from generation to generation,
Afraid of my black sisters and brothers since we're a few shades darker
Did you know we all scientifically originate from the Motherland, Africa ?
Remember to smile. Remember to love
I may not know you, or know exactly what you go through
But know, God will free his people
They can put us in a box
Behind the bars that has the locks
Each Night,
I rub, I scrape
and I fight.
Each night I try
to wash the pigment
I cry
as my skin begins to redden
I can't take it off.
All of a sudden
I stop.
Why is this a world where people are punished for themselves?
They say God hates gays,
They say God hates trannies,
They say God hates blacks,
They say God hates Asians,
They say God hates us,
Color blind
Living lifeTryna findPeaceFighting warsBleeding redUnder the shimmering seaMy brotherIn blackIn white
I look in the mirror
and I see
the god Shango staring
back at me.
Where I expect to see my reflection,
I do.
And yet, it is
more than it ever was.
My broad chest and shoulders,
Written Expression
Stuck.
Brick barriers of muddy membrane.
Imprisoned.
Caged by my thoughts and identity.
Black, young, and Christian.
1,2,3,4How many gunshots moreHard to trust anyone in a blue uniformThey hold off on telling us what we did wrongBut swears to the judge we've been informedI feel unsafe in my streetsI fear a white boogie man strangling me in the sheetsI'm scared m
Black bodies.
Black boys.
Dying every other day.
Mama's tears.
Heavy heart.
No amazing grace,
how sweet the sound.
Oh black boy,
covered in blood.
When will you return
Is my black beautiful? I live in a generation that's cleaning up the mess the previous had made. Striving for equality, justice, but one thing doesn't seem to change.
Black is not a type of character trait
I'm tired of our nationality being raped
Constantly we are mistaken by our identity
Yeah she's black
She's always walking around with a head full of naps
Bang! Another one down
A black main lies helpless on the ground
People look and record with nothing to do
One reaches for their phone then another then two
She falls next to him with tears in her eyes
When you’re born they ask how dark?Does my life matter?When you’re a toddler and people call you pickaninnyDoes my life matter?
I was raised to be proud, confident, to embrace full.
To ignore the mugs of the brighter skin, Living Melanin.
To wear my curly fro & deny any hands to touch for it was my crown.
They continued to struggle
Living in the cracks
With the problems they juggled
Because they are black
But then they came out
They say that there is no more discrimination
Then why is all the killing of Black's a repetition
Watching all my brothers die, it just makes me sigh
Walk with me, Lord! Walk with me!Walk with me, Lord! Walk with me!While I’m on my pilgrim journey,I need You, Jesus, to walk with me.
Say it loud Im black and I’m proud
someone once told me that I matteruntil I multiply myself times the speed of lightthen I am energywhen I merge with he who mattersit becomes synergyit becomes clear to methat words mean nothing
Segregation, to divide based on class, race, or religion
Freedom
Why have you betrayed me?
I am a black child
My race is your legacy
I am your first born son
So why must I ask you
They told me that a little blackbird couldn't fly
and they were made to die.
They told me that a little blackbird couldn't be free
and will always be a mental slave part of slavery.
She wore it to his funeral,
But it’s also the aura of her soul.
It’s murder in cold blood; she stabbed him 27 times.
It’s the colour of hearts breaking apart,
The colour of death and imperfection.
Heart Beating A Mile A Second
What Did I Do?
I Was Going In The Limit Range
Did I Cross Someone Over?
Or Uncorrectly Switched A Lane?
Get Yourself Together
Cant Let Them See You Bothered
Sometimes when i look in your eye's I see the solar system
other times when i look in your eye's it's like your soul is missing
like night and day
The older generation talks about how we record everything and how we are always on social media but still has the right to comment under a video that's posted on social media and call us brain washed degenerates. Just because I was born in this g
Black Men, Black Men
Why do they bring you so much harm?
With all the brutal beatings and unlawful misconduct while you are unarmed?
Do they not care that you have great potential for life?
From the street sirens to the gun shots,
she was there.
From the morgue to the funeral she was there.
All I see are dark skinned mothers having to be resilient.
While the father and son are gone,
Black is the new blackThe old blackAlways black to blackand back to blackIt's back to that Blacker the black the sweeter the blackNot the deeper the lack or the cheaper the crackNot the triller the trap but the iller the rapNot the breaking of bac
To a brown girl, burdened by her skin
Bruised by stereotypes and self-inflicted doubt
Judged by her outsides not what’s within
Black, I am Black
We are women
We are recognized
The pain is gone
God helped us regain our confidence and strength
We faced our daily struggles
All
I need
Is my black+ness;
Making a home out of my skin
Deep with+in
Proof of my ancestors’ reignin’
I’m tired of these white boys
Saying I'm not “black enough”
I “act white” and “talk white”
So I don’t match their model
I am black,
but, I am an American,
yet, because of my color, you stab me in the back?
They tell me I speak too proper for a girl of my color,
and that I could be mistaken as white,
Close your eyes, imagine this
A little girl in the mirror
Her skin is brown
Her hair is long
Can you envision a little clearer?
Eyes that resemble a pot of gold
This little girl is only 9 years old
Black for her darkness hidden.
Blue for her not yet cried tears.
Green for her pain that is there but not found.
Pink for all her fake smiles.
Purple for the laughs that pains her but she tries.
As the days goes
My mind grows
Sharper than knives
Sweeter than the honey hives
My character shows
And the wise knows
Beautiful be my people
Yeah you know the ones with the wide nose
I spy with my little eye, something truly evil inside.It lives in the body of every man, lurking, waiting to play out its plan.It wears the color of tar, turning your world black.If you let it get too far, you may never come back.Nothing can help
RACISM EXISTS
REVERSER RACISM DOSENT
LET ME REPEAT REVERSE RACISM DOES NOT
MOTHER FUCKING EXIST.
YOU SAY, THAT I KNOW MUSLIMS ARE STRUGLING.
BUT THEN YOU SAY, THEY HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITIES
I’m white, Caucasian,
Dutch, Norwegian.
I have no month
To celebrate this background,
But I have had 18 years
To learn about my people
My people—
Who are not just white
We go to school for about twelve years, but we have issues on the way to success.
As we get older, the environment becomes more dangerous.
The police become sinister and begin to destroy how God made us.
Sleep controls our minds, it wraps itself around our though process until it seeps into our neurons by the power of suggestion
I think about you sometimes,
Your laughter, your smile
The fun times we had together before the fall
Maybe we could have worked out
Your fire was too hot for my ice
Just Black
By: Jordan Edwards
Whatever we say or do we just black.
JuJu black, milk chocolate, caramel, vanilla
if theres a notion that your black, your black.
The melanin of our skin tones are enough to spark controversy
Gun violence, Police brutality, Black on black crimes… Humanity?!
No white or black
Just a well laid track
And often a concerning lack
Of humanity is seen
Forgetting the in between
Just fallowing a track
To human demise
A world were one another
A hathor original
Master of skill
Mistress of power
A cult of misfit pride
Occupied on a prison planet
All are psychologically incarcerated upon
Black is phenomenal To the color of my skin,The texture of my hair,The eyes, I use to stare Black is phenomenal I am not light,But dark I am not pretty,But beautiful Black is phenomenal Black is creative,Black is BlackAnd if I had the chanceI woul
I know you see it.It's as Black as the midnight sky, it's Brown like the Earth you step on.The crescent in my grin, the softness of my skin.Bronze, dark, and gleaming.
Ebony
Noun
A heavy blackish or dark brown timber
I am ebony
Also known as a jewel
You would be considered a fool
If you didn't see me as beautiful
Look in the dictionary and
Who is this body?
Why is this body?
What can this body be?
Is it weak? Infantile?
Is this body even me?
I am not my own.
I live - for everybody else.
I love - for everybody else.
I was born poor
1990 was the year
I was born black and gay
But I'm here
I was slow at developing
Yet fast in the intellectual field
Learning the matters of character
Blue eyes look at me,
My dark skin is defined by the dirt and sweat of cotton fields,
My skin has been beaten, bruised and burned
The darker I am the more I'm tortured,
The blue eyes are evil,
She was quiet.
But she wasn't shy.
She had an attitude of a lioness.
The mindset of Angela Davis.
And a spirit that God would soon bless.
She was gracious on a daily basis.
I am a hyperpigmentation.
An overdose of melanin.
I am the aftermath of a merciless fire, and the darkness enveloping a starless night.
I’m just a young black woman,
Trying to get educated.
Cause one day when I have children,
I don’t want to tell them how I ALMOST made it.
I want to tell them how I passed,
I am a woman with a vision.
A vison so clear that I will break through all barriers to reach.
I am a student.
Despite all prejudements, I have made it to Howard University.
I am a daughter.
I am a black teen
living in a community of depair and poverty
Growing up in a household of 3
Foodstamps wasnt really supporting me
Finacially money really wasnt coming my way
Pain in my feet is gettin' worse,
Knees, white chicken flour. Mine.
Nappy, natural, Nia again.
Fallen, yet we do not know it.
Where is the Nguzo Saba?
Morals, ethics, Christ died for this?
Hypothetically, if I told you I loved you would we still be friends?
If I promised to keep a promise but didn't would our friendship depend?
I'm speaking hypothetical and never intend to hurt you.
Writing is an honorble plan for man, as long as the writing in some way could help man understand for generations to help them learn special plans and avoid the scams and ditches of life.
Will this pen improve my writer's lense?
I am a Queen, a supreme human being
I bleed gold and my words are bold
I am a Black Queen, though it may not be easy being green
Being black can be just as bad, sometimes even sad
But as a Queen, I take pride
Why do we raise them so hard?
Build walls of granite, stone
armor so thick we can no longer
see the beauty of their dark skin tone.
The struggle is real and very alive.
There is so much controversy over the slogan "All Lives Matter", and I can not seem to get my mind wrapped around the idea why. Yes, black lives do matter. I, as a black woman agree with this statement. There is nothing false about this at all.
Now I'm not political. I dont vote. Not even old enough to have taxes to do. But some things have been said that simply aren't true. Now i'm not Mexican. But I am a minority of a minority Black, Hispanic ,Native ,woman and left handed too.
I AM BLACK.
Blacks fought for freedom.
I AM WOMAN.
Women fought to be counted.
I AM GAY.
Gays fought for equality.
So why am I still fighting for freedom?
My freedom is confined
How does one act white?
Do I have to speak proper English and wear nice clothes? Do I have to get good grades and not cuss all the time?
If that's acting white, then yeah I guess I act white.
I'm afraid for my unborn son.
He cannot come until this war is won.
I don't want him to not come home one night.
Can't go out or live his life because he's not white.
Blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice.
Blacker the berry, the deeper the roots.
Blacker the berry, the more it's dehumanized by its own kind.
Blacker the berry, the more it's harder to find.
Part 1
It sure would be great to solve the race debate,
But before you choose a side put down your pride and hesitate,
Good and evil is not for us to decide that is up to Heaven’s Gate,
History repeats itself
it's why we're here again.
Black versus white
but this time it's times ten.
We need to be aware
that this gon' get us nowhere.
No! It's not him, her, or them;
Long black nails,
Black shirts, black pants,
Right on me,
Black makeup and dark hair cover my face
My appearance, my soul, all of me
When I walk in the streets people stare,
America has caught a fever
FIrst it took Oscar
Then it stole Treyvon
Next it was Jordan, then Kendrick then Odin
Following were Raymond, Jonathan then Reinesha
They say that I am not the typical black girl because,
well only because I "talk white".
see let me cut to the chase
about the crazy things that humans say
first in foremost it is actually speak
Black is the colorOf the mothThat lays peacefullyOn my window sealNever making a sound Black is the colorOf the ravenFlying highIn the clear dark skyBut still a mystery in our eyes
Sometimes, I get tired of white men on screens
I get tired of being told to care about what they believe
I get tired, of no one listening
My voice is loud
How do they so easily turn the dial down
The Skin I’m in
The Skin I’m in doesn’t mean I am covered in sin
Or that I am corrupt from within born into a life of violence and rage.
That because of my skin tone I am an animal uncaged.
Dipped in gold
Drenched in soul
Sealed with cold
How the world needs you, you'll never know
Weight of the world on your back but you never fold
Burdens of your plight, the heaviest of loads
I have never wanted a black man before
He who walks around with his under clothing out
He who had but 5 words repeated over and over
I want this man
I covet him like a child covets a charismas toy
There’s a stigma within the black community
That if you’re educated, you’re acting “white”.
No longer are you associated with the “ghetto”
Or should I say your kind,
If you have your pants above your waist
You’re the whitest person I know!
They laugh and look at me expectantly
Their eyes gloss over
And they fidget from foot to foot
Like they’re warming up for a race
Getting ready to run away from the mouth
Woman Wrapped in Self-Confidence
I am a woman wrapped in self-confidence
A crown of wisdom placed upon my brow
A heart of wonder laced with tenderness
Tall I stand against all resistance.
His eyes grew black with skin so dark
He ran in the rain, screaming at his dog
But little did he notice an old woman standing by
He looked at her for a second, she began to cry
Listen to me, oh Muse, and help me tell the story
Of the young man with great determination.
The one who worked for years on a single goal
To turn his belt the darkest of all colors.
I was made like this;
created by a higher power, who took much of her or his time
to make sure she or he got all of this right.
If I said I was a leader would you follow. If I said I was inspiring would you listen.If I said I was a Christian would you believe me.
I am a yougin and you might find what i am saying is obsurd
But i need to speak up and say these words
My brothers and sisters
Look what has become of us
Living in a country where people are scared of us
Two months ago,
as I stared at my skin in the mirror, I asked myself why.
They told me it would be hard,
they told me the side effects might be harsh,
but they never told me
my disease would make me die.
Mama, please pour some bleach in my bath water
I need to wash this dark stuff off my skin
I need to look like the ladies on the television,
Fair skin, and petite noses
That’s what’s pretty
A boy raised to be nothing but successful in life, educated and uneducated in what is his purpose, given the impression that he will be discriminated and intimidated by the real reality of the world , grew up on the southeast side of Dc not by ba
Can I Get A Story
I am Black and American
Yet I am labeled as white
And not because I bite
I wake up to a sea of white.
Is this what society is preparing me for?
Being marginalized as "that black girl".
I expected more.
Perhaps my standards were too high,
Black is night, white is noon,
Dense clouds are black, they have rain,
Black is shade, cools us all,
Black is night, time to relax,
Black is dusky, defuses heat,
My skin is the skin that God put me in on the day that was the day of the 17th in the month of November the year being the one-thousand nine-hundred nintey-seventh year Anno Domini....
B for Beautiful voices and Brave souls such as Whitney Houston and Rosa Parks
L for Legendary creators such as Quincy Jones and Barry Gordy
I come to be a voice
For every person who’s been
Suffering in silence
Too acquainted with lost dreams
And police sirens
Waking up in the middle of the night
Knowing something’s wrong
Im flawless because my skin is as warm as the Sun dipped in Black.
Onyx. Black Diamond. Black. Brown. Tan.
As warm as the Sun dipped in Black.
Trust me, I'm beatiful my friend.
As warm as the Sun dipped in Black.
Expressing how I feel
sometimes confuse me a great deal
Can I understand myself?
Or better yet can you?
I dont always say what I feel
But when I do I keep it real
Anywhere any place
Land of the free
Home of the brave
As long as you're white
And not transgender and certainly not a queer lady.
He never said the word
He didn’t have to
He sold blue eyed dreams down a nappy head highway
And preached blonde haired sermons to charcoal smiles
I too had a dream that one day we would stop all the violence in the streets and keep the peace
Your morning breath blew beautifully
A familiar funk stuck on the windowsill
I’d steal this stench and drench my windowpanes repetitiously
Because a Queen is not a Queen without her King.
A woe-man is nothing without man
woe - suffering
Yes I'm black, that doesn't mean I'm vulnerable to attack,
I'm just like you, a human, red blood, emotions and a moving figure,
war, there is war everywhere in Iraq, Syria, and even in the U.S.A, recently there has been an epidemic of police bashing. A seed in Ferguson was shot to death by a police officer, which sent a fire through the field.
I go into the night
just outside, within the gates
to the deep dark pool of black jade
The moon dances on the water
The water is cool like stone
I wade in untill knees deep and then, dive in...
The best thing we can doupon closing our eyesat the end of a long dayis to dreamfor a dreamis a landscape, a playground, of realm of possibility
I am incapable of self-identifying.
Everything I'd claim, you'd think I'm lying.
How can I say I am "made in America,"
when I am a product assembled with
Black & white
Why fight between us human
Why racism compare to color ?
You might be white or black and nothing difference between us.
Our fear has made some of us uncommitted as a portion of society.
Our conditions have caused us to alter our mindset to materials that essentially have no true value.
Let's set it all clear,
I have 4 little brothers
Well 5 if you count my pain-in-the-butt little cousin
I've grown up around strong women. To be specific, I've been surrounded by strong black women.
That doesnt make me strong though
This made it hard for me to find myself. I wanted to be like them
Black
Beautiful, dismal
Enticing, seducing, destroying
Lifting gently, weighing heavily
Darkened Entity
40 acres and a mule
How bout 40 million and some fame
slaves to old white men's rule
and it's such a shame
from the NBA NFL MLB
to the rap and hip hop music industry
One
It is about time you realized that you are black
you still don’t know what that means
But one day you will
And you will never have felt more beautiful or misunderstood
We are trapped,
We are lost,
We need to get out,
But we do not know where we are,
We are slaves to the rich,
Lets get on the piss,
Lets charge the gates of gold,
Lets break te chains,
I know the guys always say the same old line.
"The makeup compliments your eyes"
Honestly your personality compliments your mind you one of a kind.
No matter how much makeup you apply you can't never hide what's inside.
It is not a particularly taxing question
Nor is it a question I can easily formulate a response
The obvious answer to this question is that I find it chic,
But there is more to it than that
I wonder what would happen if WE. BOUNCE. BACK
Like the elasticity of elastic bands being stretched by heavy hands
Lassoing nappy strands running amuck like wild stallions
We, are wild ones
Black.
No longer just a skin color but a culture.
No longer a protective covering but a name by which any other race
Must refer to as “African American.”
When you look into my eyess what do you see- a strong black woman looking back at me When you look into my eyes what do you see- a warrior, a fighter, that's protecting me When you look into my eyes what do you see the- heritage of my people that
I have a dream,
A dream where young black men won’t be on the streets pushin’.
I have a dream,
A dream where young black women won’t be on the streets pushin’,
A stroller that is.
See she is 20 years old,
She was always criticized for her dark skin,
“Chileee when the Lord made you, He must have forgot to set the timer and just left you in!”
She was left too long in the oven,
Her skin wasn’t made for loving.
My sisters and I come from a land of harsh sun where our culture and spirits live.
A place that contains so much more beauty than one could ever witness in a lifetime.
I live with no sense of identityBlack-Female-Gay-They all represent meBut being stuck in a mundane placeGasping for air and spaceLeft with this double-sided face
My thoughtsGo crazy. They wander,They go in circlesMaybe that's the reason for the blackCircles underneathMy eyes.My eyesStare out the window as my thoughtsUnderneathThy skin wanders.
I Am Two
By: Autumn Alston
I am two. Two worlds forged together, each crippled by negative history,
Two forces, diametrically opposed, when combined, producing a mystery.
The black girl.
Built strong, legs long unlike her hair.
Hair thick like her hips. Full lips.
Left on this earth for a purpose but constantly forced by society to find it alone.
The absolute design that defines me,
and yet in the mist of the night no one hears my screams.
Yet my path grows my story will never change.
It grows, it calls, and it even bleeds, yet never asks for help.
We as blacks
Grew up with the struggle of the nation on our backs
Being told that the skin that is attached to our bodies
are a curse to our soul
We believe that being different makes us a queer in our "group"
When you see me I know what you think.
“Why’s he in my class” or “he must like to drink.. 40s and play biggie smalls”
Or “He can’t be smart, he’s intellect is not big it’s small.”
I hear the word so often that I have become numb to it.
I think that is the worst part. They call me out of my name and they hate me so much.
Sneakers, gym shoes, my father call them gymmies. Nikes, Jordans, Jays ; I love them
Its funny;
Life is dark; depressing
But with in the dark there is always light.
In art you discover just how black is made,
The truth of the matter is, that you must take every color of the rainbow at once;
"OMG you too Ms. Imani?You see I... I thought I was the only"Thats what this young girl said to meas she glared at meno longer feeling lonely.
What would you change?
What would I change?
I'd chage the way peole think,
Get rid of the unnceccasary judgement.
Who needs that?
Certainy not we.
We have the power to learn,
Holding back,
No longer allowing slack
Pulling in the reigns
On this issue that is causing me so much pain
If I could create a world, would color be in it?
If I could change the world,
I would abolish prejudice;
Or the bumpy past,
That created it.
No race more superior,
No size more supreme.
Only happiness,
And positivity gleamed.
I feel the breeze
A brush of stinging air
My breath steams through
Like smoke in the atmosphere
Your eyes raw
glistening gold eyes
peering with curiousity
the slender black
frame
stalking and
circling
innocently evil.
Being Darkskin In This World Today
Is Harder Than Any Other Pain That Comes Your Way
You Would Think After Segregation Was Over
The Color Of Your Skin Wouldn't Matter
LIESSS
Bound.Block.Bold.Brain-Dead.Belt.Bear.Beans.Buick.Bell.Barrack.BowlIngBall.Box.Brave.Boring.Be Careful.Bemused.Bullied.Bearing.Bitches.Bane.Begone.Bore.
Oreo
To think a childhood could reincarnate itself in mockery
Oreo
that's what they call me
Oreo
because I'm too black to be white, but not black enough to BE black
Oreo
The "L" in life I abbreviate as living. You may character living as oxygen and movement. I character living as a timeline for improvement. Living is not a choice, nor a demand. Living is a given gift from the most powerful hands.
I take my coffee black, but was that ever a bad thing?
Bringing back to Martin Luther King preaching about letting freedom ring. The joyful choir sings let the 20th century voices be head
The Red Queen
wanted red roses.
The roses were whte,
so the cards painted them red.
Red roses
a common symbol of love.
I paint roses everyday
for you.
They aren't red,
There’s a faded, torn pictureMy grandma lovingly tapedOf the day she stood in front of old AbeAnd with thousands of othersCheered for a dreamA dream full of hopeThat we wouldn’t see
Bang Bang
3 o clock in the morning gunshots going off
Doesnt keep me up Im numb to it
Bang Bang
I close my eyes and go back to sleep
Wake up, and turn on the news
The day I was born I was given a daisy.
When they gave it to me they told me:
This is no ordinary daisy,
As long as it’s with you,
Everyone will believe you to be innocent before guilty,
Cars, and toys, and rug burns
I am a boy. I am a boy.
Basketball, hip-hop, down the block.
I am black. I am black.
Questionin innocenceNeed tuh cleanse n replenish dis effed up conscience.Hoodie up, arizona n skittles in his pocketsSuspicionLife taken away for foolishness of self defense?
You see that person,
you had a past,
you wish it didnt end that way.
You wish that it couldve last
but you realize you wouldve messed it up anyway.
But if there was another strike
I want people to see me beyond what i am.
To stop saying i am too African when i am already black enough for them to see.
Yes i am black and i love it.
I love it even when they don't agree.
So many times I’ve heard,
“You don’t act black”,
And to this day I still don’t understand,
How does one act a color?
Do I be decrepit, ugly, or dark?
At least that’s what Webster tells me,
You call me ya nigga
Well, check this out
If I’m your nigga I can’t be your homie
If I’m ya nigga I can’t be your man
If I’m ya nigga I can’t even be your friend
Not because I don’t want to
To my future daughter
You will know that you are a queen from the moment you are concieved till you rest your head against the silk linen of your eternal crib
I was 13.
Looking in the mirror,
It never dawned to me why,
Why the window between my teeth,
The disproportionate nose,
The “five-head”,
Too sufficient for just a bang,
Not brown
These cold hands are stuggling
Can't get warm if anything
I try and try again
Only to get colder than
The heart of this dead body walking
I can't resist the coughing
First off, I will start off by saying I’m sorry
I don’t know if I actually am
My brain says I ought to be but my heart disagrees
We all are the Same
On the inside
I feel so Ashamed
On the outside
The moon is my enemy i feel only Pain
Surrounded by darkness all you see in Cocaine
A young girl that's so upset
So she goes through life giving nothing more than sex
You ask her what's love, and she'll give you a puzzled face
maybe it's cuz' her father dropped out from the early race
She blinks and gapes and her mouth spouts crapThe audience stares and claps and their mouths flap
I sit and watch and wonder how or maybe even whyThey talk like I care and wonder about nigh
I won the case, my prize?
One way ticket to paradise.
I take my people and go
The land is vast, they said
We don’t need your savagery, they said
My people’s tears trace the trail
To you it’s just a word
But it makes her soul burns
And leads to that knife
She takes that first slice
And though the cut hurts
She’d rather feel that pain
Maybe we could educate men
That no always means no
And I guess we could educate women too
That it's not your fault
What he did to you
Even if he was your boyfriend
A random stranger
Today is my cheat day,
Or maybe my cheat week,
A smirk of a smile,
Of diets and exercise I do not speak,
The guilt forgotten because I seek,
The delicious foods no longer I sneak,
When you’re alone in the castle
When even the mice have gone
When the moonlight shadows stalk
And it’s a long time till dawn
When you cannot hear a voice
Because the walls block out the sound
That tear you saw Represents all the pain i have suffered The built up anger,hate, and frustration That had been bestowed upon me That tear isn't any ordinary tear It isn't the cry for attention or pity It's the tear of someone so broken inside I
Me
Self
I
Mainly engaged
Sometimes energetic, lonley or fading
I hope, I dream, I wish, I want
I have finally learned
That I am myself
And that myself can fight for me
Let me tell you a little story about a cat I know,
That wen’t from love to loss not too long ago,
From inside a warm house to outside in the rain,
Nobody cared about her struggles, hunger, or pain,
Stuff You can’t say to your Teacher
Dear every white teacher that I have ever had,
Yes,
calling on me
while my hand is down
to answer your questions
about the black community while
I am
BLACK
By David Harris
So many times I’ve heard,
“You don’t act black”,
And to this day I still don’t understand,
How does one act a color?
Do I be decrepit, ugly, or dark?
Being black shouldnt discriminate, unike any other.
Being brown shouldnt mean i have to drown in this society.
Being brown should enable me to get a crown,just like any other.
Being black shouldnt be a set back.
Professors claim we lazy and just don’t get it
Nah sir, that point? You done missed it.
It’s a scary time to be young, black, and gifted
The frame of picture we was supposed to paint done shifted
Green is the color of envy
Red is the color of love
Blue is the color of freedom
While yellow is the color of fun
Black is an evil color
White is always good
Grey is the color in between
Lillies in a motionless pit in the dark forest of lies. Secrets being told in color words spoken in detail.
Look at the face of the "Generation" we call today and ask yourself is this what I live in?. Black
Their Eyes are on the Door (The Gay Scene)
Their eyes were on the door of clubs like Casablanca, where they wait to judge.
They clutter together like leaves stuck in a drain, old ways refusing to budge.
I never knew what news was trying to say
Geriatrics,chiropractics, and semantics play
Black people, my people ,all they do is slay
Oh no, wrong joke, let us go for broke
I listened to an old song.
It’s been five years passed…
It took me back
to when I was only 13.
For being so young, I was so haunted.
The world was black and white.
I lived in Arizona
but even the rays of lightcouldn’t
penetrate my dark cloud.
I l
Dr. King and Rosa Parks are a part of our history/ But that's not enough, alot of us are still left in mystery
We yearn to know, more and more bout how our people have grown/ But in school they think it's cool for only us to know....
I'm a Strong Black Woman, proud and true.
I'm a Strong Black Woman, no matter what you do.
I'm a Strong Black Woman, as the sky is blue.
I'm a Strong Black Woman and yes, I've been through.
Mistaken Always shaken We move because we're told But it's getting old Tired of these rules The tools They say, the tools to life To growing and succeeding To living and competing Jump, run, and go They say it but really though What do they mean
Dear Diary,
I'm. Mad.
No excuse me that's not what I meant to say-I meant to say I'm pissed off.
You think you're hot sh*t don't you
because your clothes fit you and you got a nice whip riding after school.
You think you're hot sh*t don't you
because we will never be like you
So, my skin isn't too light. Some might even say it's not right, just wrong. My hair isn't long by the beauty-man's standards. It lacks in flat and lifelessness. It's curly and wild, not wispy and slight. My eyes shaded with shadows and brown.
We hold a high position.Standing with a strong attitude in the way we walk and talk.No man will respect the women who can’t run her own race, but every man will respect the woman who can hold her own.
"...and we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men were created equal..."
1776; It was a constitutional statement that society swore under the honor of god
But isn't it odd
If only we were color blind…
The hurt,
The pain,
The feeling of being the undeserving, or
The inferior would disappear.
There they are.
they're sitting in that car.
I've never seen a Lamborghini before.
yet there it is at my school.
There they are.
sitting in that house.
When will it be my turn?
My turn to learn, to see what it feels like to earn; To make good grades..
Teachers thes days don't give me much to look up too.
I'm tired of these fucking stereotypes
dictating how I feel and act
I shouldn't like English
I should be petite and quiet
I should study, study, study
Well I fucking done
finito, over it
I'm sorry, I hadnt realized that correct grammar and proper English was only something one race could doMy mother never told me I had to talk in slang, incomplete sentences, & silly colloquial speech
Body Language
With the strut of the Wind,
The boundless flow of time.
Our minds tend to flutter,
With an undying chime.
Speaking through tocs and tics
Vision scattered,
110 Billion Dollar Date (Katrina’s Beauty)
My name is infamous
To strike fear in a southern voice.
They had my number-
Free to call,
But chose the wrong choice.
Date after date-
Every grain of sand fallen,
Is an eternity.
Sand better off lost. No matter the pitfalls.
Intolerance… Produced as a result of the tone set by one’s skin.
Maroon- the color of crimson love, fermented
Of December midnights, mingled with the tears of flesh
Of sweet agony, smoldering behind hazel eyes
Of you and I, trying to escape Desire
How beautiful the crow is as he sits up in the tree,
ruffling up his feathers while staring down at me.
His gaze is unfaltering and at me he continues to stare,
I can see what he has endured and the pain he can bare.
"I can sleep through gunfire,"
He said to me one nightDouble parked in parking lotHalf past closing time
Chalkboard
Tar
Trashcan
what do all these things have in common?
There black just like me and you hate it.
intergration and diversity is the new reality get used to it.
It’s hard for me to honor a flag when I think about the way cops treated my Dad
It’s insane that we honor a flag after all the hardships that our people had
We Scream God Bless America but is America Blessing us?
Tell me you know what it means to be Black....
Tell me the true definition,
not the one created by the masses for the purpose of destruction
White or black
what difference does it make?
we are both skins
that we did not create
the color we walk in
is our own
the only thing that we can embrace
is making us known
of who we are
We as a people are capable of so much
We must use each other as a clutch
We as a people must rise to the majestic heights
So we can fight this battle like a medieval knight
In theory I never knew the weight of the hoodie.
Contrast in its color as it grapes over my skin.
Indeed I was mightier with the cape over my lens.
Strolling pastimes, my ears were shuttled by noise.
Black, Black, What is black?
I am African-American now thats a fact
Being a person of color does not differ me from others
My ethnicity is of many shades, like leaves changing colors in the fall phase
Walls all around
Tears fall on the ground
Black is all i see
Fear wells up inside of me;
but there is always hope in view
A chance to start anew
Obstacles constanly stand in the way
Two am Trevon will be made into a man, tested on the dedication he has for his red colored clique. Trevon will have to decide which family he values more.
I met him that day at summer camp.
He was tall, and he was inspiring, and he was beautiful.
But his father was taken away from him so suddenly,
And the pain burned a hole inside of him that seemed too big to patch up.
Made of Steele
made to clink together
made to keep a race back
foever ? made to seprate
us and not bring us together.
There seems like there's no sunny
weather, cloudy skies and
He took a puff of the Crack pipe and
laid it on the counter, out the door
he goes and nobody know's how
this story will go. His 13 year
old son blind by society
takes a puff of the Crack
Bulit up on a lie so how would
you expect us to survive ?!
Clenched with chains like
a beast who can not be tamed
Not knowing that we where the
First to be crowned king
To write, is to express one’s self through words rather than actions.To write, is to speak out loud without really speaking.To write, is to release… everything.
Why can’t you believe that I deserve it all?
Is it because I am young, I am black? Because I’ve answered the call?
You claim success is colorblind, that any can achieve,
He was my age when he died,
a boy who would now never grow up.
I don't know what it's like
to grow up hated and feared
by simple minds and closed hearts.
I don't know what it's like
I am not a slave to my looks therefore I am not a slave to my hair. Next time you say,
Girl!
You will never get a man with that hair.
Bending and twisting.
Embers, chocolate, mud, and sand.
White with freckles and dark like Sudan.
Is there a side when your blood knows no end?
Bouncing, crunchy, zig zags.
Sinful and unruly.
I sit here, thinking heavy
My young brother, no intent of harming any
Walking with a hood on is that a threat?
But with his black skin many scream death
Skittles, tea
What harm could that be?
I'm a Plain Jane as a matter of fact
But my name is Debbie and I happen to be black
I think I'm very smart
And I love making art
No one can take that away
So if anyone has anything to say
What is Black to me:
Urban sprawl or bliss country
Jheri curl or Afro puff,
Taste of freedom or a silver handcuff
Brothers whose chains shine bright
When King made his last speech that rainy night?
I only play with my black keys,
My lovely black keys.
The only keys I can trust
Keys I can put my faith in
The white keys don't understand me
The white keys
forthcoming opposition is a blessing.
you should be worried when you're not sure
when the attack will start
the echoes of malice are a blessing.
you should be worried when the whispers of hatred
I was so close to nirvana but disaster had to come
Trembling, sweating dripping, heart beating like a drum
It could be all over in an instant
Leaving me crying in my bedroom, seeming senseless
Everyday we live our lives in dichotomy
Will my decisions be wrong or right
Straight or gay, fat or skinny, black or white
If only things could be this obvious
Trayvon was killed, and he walked
What It's Like To Be a Mixed Girl (for those of you who aren't)
First of all, it's feeling like you fit in and then one day
someone different appears in the mirror.
Do you see that being black is a state of mind?
That we have moved beyond the whips and the chains,
and have moved on to the place where everyone is kind.
But wait.
Everything good is white.
She is tumbling, cascading, silently spiraling into a tunnel of hopelessness. you are too dark! you're not pretty enough! she desperate for comfort.
What does being black really mean?
Is it what's being represented on TV?
Does it relate to a status quo,
or what you truly know?
Isn't it just the pigment of one's skin,
We buy our sterotypes off of tv subconsciencely we feed our ignorance without a black face and watermelon red lips but with a pretty face and round ass we've become americas number one pupets our sistahs aunties and mothers have been degraded to o
(poems go here) We hold these truths to be self-evident, that if you are a minority then you are irrelevent. And If you're not using drugs, then you must be selling it. Living in a world, where girls are no longer celibate
And it is with this that I am thrust
into the reality of the world
the world of blue eyes,
blonde hair
beige skin
where
being anything bigger than a 4 (god forbid)
is casually categorized as "fat"
You don’t want to call it hate.
Although you despise words that were spoken.
Words of thoughts,
Words of passion,
Even words of love.
The little ticks and twitches got to you
This is my hair
It flows free and true
Can you feel my tresses?
They speak the truth, do you?
This is my pride, black & true.
Flowing ever freely, do you?
This is my hair haiku.
Darkness growing;
Fed by her tears.
Flooding her cheeks,
Mascara and eyeliner
Run; streaked.
Child you are beautiful
You are the darkest bark
Covered in a sheen from the purest honey
The earth grew grass to soften your tread
The trees grew leaves to lessen your heat
The flowers bloom every morning
If I die tomorrow
Burry me with rose petals
So I can think about the flower
If I die tomorrow
I want to be that black butterfly that was in her window
I want to show her what it feels like to be free
We follow the latest trends
like our spines cant unbend.
like the force of this society has crippled us ,
placing all its weight on top of us, soon our faces will meet the pavement.
because we are not strong enough.
When you look at me, what do you see.
You see the blackness of my skin.
You see the brown in my eyes.
The nappinest of my hair.
Should I speak slang to you,
or wear my pants hang low so you can see my boxer?
I am a parasite. I feed from the fear and pain of the cowards; the unfaithful fall as I consume their souls. I devour their sense of direction, hindering their escape.
I am a parasite. I feed from the fear and pain of the cowards; the unfaithful fall as I consume their souls. I devour their sense of direction, hindering their escape.
Look at
Me
Now.
Now I listen
And I write and
I read
And I am polite.
Quintessential Student
Scholarly and Prudent
She's run free yet
Steadfast
And strong?
No, no
The Black man...which stands on the corner
It identifies and symbolizes the border in which his congregation of
friends and himself have allowed themselves to loiter
See everyday I pass along that very corner
Asha Neeman grew up in the suburbs of the big city,
Always making others laugh,
She was so witty.
A great athlete and a straight “A” student,
Every boy wanted to be with her,
But hated her prudence.
Since the beginning you were there for me,
Some one must have said a prayer for me,
Cause no matter what you always cared for me,
I once had a spirit,
That would cry, Livid.
A soundless screamer,
A sleepless dreamer.
A cowardly warrior,
A body-less barrier.
A sharp taste of rum,
A native tongue.
When the soul spoke,
We press it, cut it, blow it out, and pin it up
We change our texture because it’s not desirable
We dye it as the trends change
And we die a little more ourselves each time
When people look at me I know what they see
what's on the tip of their tongue, what the think of me
"Man she is dark, she is darker than me. Black, black, negro is who she be"!
Alone, it is a masterpiece,
and it recreates its status.
Forgotten practicality,
Leaves it just a decoration.
Something dangerous lurks in the shadows
It’s gangling grotesque figure lets out an eerie cry of warnings
Night after night
Hiding it’s sunburned flesh
It creeps in the shadows
I’m afraid of the dark
Shhhh! Do not you dare compare him to I!
For he was not born within a skin that does not comply.
I am beautiful, of this I have no doubt,
But this is a fact, not a way to stand out.
My Black is Beautiful, My Black is free
Thanks to all of the Blacks that came before me
Three years old no father killed by the life he lived
Please little black girl don’t cry
I reached but he wasn't there
I, myself, draw the line.
Neither bounded by chains or by reckless thoughts,
flooded by the ignorance of those unaware of my flow.
Is it the way that I speak which inflicts fear on Man?
Of all comes none, yet feels as still
some semblance of a substance seen unreal,
echo endless hollow beauty immeasurable.
Character
Deep within the focal point of your exterior lies character.
Character yet to be defined,
Character that has ceased to be be intertwined...
And Kermit the Frog said
It’s not easy being green
Well being black isn’t easy either
I don’t blend in with the grass and the leaves
But I stand out in seas of ivory
Sometimes I get stares of disgust
A garden of white, bouquets of black and purple.
Black and purple
flowers that resemble her bruised memories.
A garden created of pathways,
interconnected,
confused,
and dizzy.
A garden of mazes,
See the fact is.
I don't know what being black is.
because for me to call myself black would be to accept the shifting sociological construct that is race.
The question always pops up with black and white people. Who and how can an person use the term nigger and nigga.
Black is the color of death.
Black is screwing up.
Black is your last breath.
Black is not giving a fuck.
Black is a deadly disease.
Black is the unknown.
Black is begging on your knees.
(poems go here) The slick
smooth
black high heels,
my weapons of choice,
disguise me as
a secret spy,
these trusty sidekicks,
two extensions
of my legs,
we glide
around the corner,
(poems go here) The slick
smooth
black high heels,
my weapons of choice,
disguise me as
a secret spy,
these trusty sidekicks,
two extensions
of my legs,
we glide
around the corner,
Fill my seams with lots of dreams
Like Martin Luther King did
Walk down avenues
No need to be in school, at least not on this special holiday
Because of that man
That man there, we can do near anything
We who believe in freedom still can't rest,
Cause we who believe in freedom can not rest until it comes.
What have we done to deserve such injustice?
No one else feeling our pain, it's just us
Being spit on and hurt by people who are just like us
We're still human beings, not animals and fiends
Or things you can attack
I am Too Blind in the light Too fresh, too hood, too...Ghetto
World uses me like a puppet; Geppeto
African Americans need to Stop, and think
We want to see the Intellectual abilities you can bring,
You pay women to dance, while your love is at home.
Two Viking babies asking when daddy is coming home.
How familiar is my name,
For daddy’s the one to blame...
Your ice cold look is really just a new flame.
Choose
Between
Hate or love
WHITE OR BLACK
Wrong or right
Parents or soul mate
Holding back or holding hands
Being ashamed or being proud
Seeing skin or seeing soul
I am not dark skin.
I am the sound of deep cognition.
I am the voice of thought-provoking composition.
So, if you feel like you are fiending just to stay and listen;
attacked, chained and forced on ships
brought to a land to face hardships
there is a light shining above us
illuminating our many shadeds of brown
unique souls and great minds that shaped
To have humility is to think less
Of ourselves ‘cause we are God’s creation
Red, yellow, black, white, tell that to the press
For the races received much damnation.
Injustice is still there we need prayers
What is black?
And, what does it feel like?
Black. maybe its constriction in dark, damp chambers,
and gusts of fresh air once you've come to face the sun.
My favorite color is gray.
Why? Gray is so boring, so neutral, so.. dead. Right?
Gray is what happens when you mix the polar opposites of
Black..
and White.
When you mix oppression with freedom,
After the storm comes the rainbow,
Vivacious colors splitting the grey.
After the clouds shines the sun,
Shining light through the tears of the sky.
Storms are alive, in you, in me, in the world.
My splattered blood dries
over the newly cemented pavement
where my head collided,
after my back got soaked and bruised
from the fire hydrant
cause I'm fighting the tyrant
of segregation. You can crush
Today is the day for change,
Eyes up, Signs high,
Voices loud,
Jim Crowe has no hold anymore,
Chains are crumbling,
This is a revolution,
We are more than 3/5 of a man,
We are human,
Bars, the social norm
Keeping us in, keeping them out
When will it end
This nasty game they’re playing?
But we wont back down, no
The blood fueling our bodies with oxygen
Is the same. We all feel the pain.
I am bound to my chain
Never to be set free
The state of my confinement is one that is definite
A constant reminder that ensures my inhibition
They wanted to call us colored
But what did colored mean
To a population with crops dying
Radiation spewing across the sky
Changes from green to dead
And blue to hidden
(poems go here) They did the work we didn’t want to do
We could not be in the same room
It was illegal for them to have a say
If they even tried it was almost like they were thrown away
This went on for 400 years
What they were called…
Negroes. Stupid. Ignorant. Less-than. Inadequate. Niggers.
What they really were…
Citizens. People. Mothers. Children. Husbands. Workers. Human-beings.
What they endured…
Represent
The palm of my hands is the palm of yours
Represent
They represent these United State shores
Comes the tall ‘n mighty stovepipe hat
One of the world’s greatest diplomat
Black or white,
colors fade to gray,
we stand together,
United as one,
nothing can break determination,
no one can stop our stride,
equality is one small step,
What a shame, how we all were treated before,
False accusations, people judged the color of skin.
Our potential, needs, and feelings were forgotten, ignored,
Our worn and torn shoes, no one has thought to step in.
Two little ones hand in hand running
In the bright golden morning over Washington.
Their counterparts dancing in the Pool of Reflection
They were leaping and wheeling in the calm morning sun.
I see these signs that say white only for me,
What it really means is you don’t know me,
I’m all around you,
Still this doesn’t bother you,
We’re fools to see the only difference is the color we see.
If it wasn't for the magic
when this universe was born-
the gravity that held it down
the sun that kept it warm
Racism why is it even here
all it does is bring us tears
Whatever happen to a world of peace
its time we bring a new life lease
We stand in unity to raise hope
so that we may live in a place of harmony
We Stand as One
Walking the streets to feel complete
No more segregation
We have now formed a whole nation
With a man that had a dream
That lead the movement to be free
We stand as one.
Flawless sun kissed skin
In infinite shades of brown.
Beauty Sculpted by God
Crafted in his favor.
Black boy
(Hook)
Last night
Night before
24 robbers at my door
I got up and let em in
Hit em in the head with a rolling pin
So is that who I am?
To be stereotyped just from my interest.
Is that who I am?
The one who's labeled just for being me.
We were once a people.
We taught together.
We fought together,
For freedom.
Our people won.
Black teachers, doctors, politicians.
The sky was the limit.
We were family.
Daddy was always there.
It is the year 1896,
And a black child born
In rural Louisiana
Sometime in 1865
Has just had her
Thirty-first birthday.
She should be happy--
Her newborn babe
Is healthy and although
Shuffled by,
Tossed and tied up without a bat of an eye
Thrusted into a life that was unseen
Depicted less of our mean
Voice unheard, some sort of strangled silence
Shuffled by,
Tossed and tied up without a bat of an eye
Thrusted into a life that was unseen
Depicted less of our mean
Voice unheard, some sort of strangled silence
There goes that ribbon floating through the air. Her dress flowing in the breeze. She's curious, she wants to go, no violence does she see. "No, my child, you must stay here. For surely that's not for you.
Who’d know the color of my skin presents so much ambiguity in society?
A different angle in the light of the city
What am I today?
For the historic family trees of America remain hallow at my name.
How could it end so real?
Looking back at it it seems so surreal,
But in my mind I know how the people used to feel.
The mother,
A woman strong like no other,
Told everyone who could listen about this deal
We stand here in the crowd hearing him preach
'We shall be equal! We shall be free!'
These men up here giving us false hope,
When we all know we should fight on
But in the back of our mind knowing we are shunned.
The Civil War's long been over, and slavery's been abolished
Education is available to everyone so we can all get knowledge
Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King fought for the rights we've gotten
When you see a rainbow after a storm
You can’t escape it
It illuminates there in the sky for all to see
Each color together in perfect harmony
Now what would a rainbow be
White is beautiful.
It is bright, blinding white
That fills the cold days of winter.
It is the swirls of white
That cover the skies on a sunny day.
It is sweet, irresistible white
At first just yelling.
Spiteful cries,
Words like cleavers,
Got under her fingernails,
and the mahogany skin on her cheeks.
And then the stones came,
an ambush,
penetrating deeper
African American did not have rights
All of them suffered from the lies
Until Martin Luther king Jr wasn't afraid of heights
He stood up and put his foot down on there civil rights.
The story of then,
The story of now,
and then the story yet to be unveiled:
One heart, one mind
All of our fates, intertwined
Campaigns, rallies all for one cause
Because we as a nation, belong under God
Who made man in his own image
Gave us the power to make our decisions
It is 1960 and there are two drinking fountains.
Colored on the left, white on the right.
A young black girl shuffles her feet forward slowly in line.
They drag along the dirt and make lines in the ground.
I am pale as the moon in a sky of darkness
White against the shadows of the night
His skin is dark like a moonless sky
But his spirit is forever bright
What is this white cap I wear
That makes everyone stare,
When I can down the green crown
Of liberty to set everyone free?
Nobody gone hold me down
I am a man and constantly getting put down
In this world I am surrounded by hate
You take one look at me and discriminate
Paying me the lowest of the lows
Hands planted on her lap, looking at the wrinkles
Reminds her of the days she spent on her knees
Watching the houses and the trees
Looking so young but feeling so old
She does her daily do’s
Stirring and pouring
Why you so surprised?
You thought change was gonna come
But let me explain something to you
History repeats itself
And it’s just a matter of time
Before you’re back in the fields.
Why am I so different?
Confused by the color of my skin, I am ashamed.
Though He says we should love everyone, but one does not love me.
I am in pain.
I was judged before I even came out my mother's womb
I was counted out and scorned despite my inner beauty
All thanks to Jim Crow
Thanks for your ridiculous laws based upon my ethnicity
DISCRIMINATION, that is a word that sliced deep into the hearts of many, pouring out the blood flow of confusion and a sense of deception. Just because my skin is brown and hers right beside me is white, we're different?
I was raised to hate the black man,
To spit as he passed me in the street.
I was raised to hate his wife, too,
The woman I never thought to meet.
For hundreds of years the black man has been crying
with inner tears, striped from his manly dignity and
identity, his self love has been ripped.
Who should define my race?
Is it the man who auctions my ancestor from a stand
and then lynch’s them on poisoned land.
Who should define my race?
Is it the person who label’s us because of the color of
our face.
The Black man stands strong on the slave block being
ridiculed and torched similar to King Jesus.
Living in the forlorn world of slavery, being
discriminated against by some of the white
race- due to my colored face.
Had a sporadic moment of brilliance today
This extra-terrestrial brown skin
Bronzed with historical significance
Scarred with repetitive adversity
It isn’t coming off
Because of the pigment of my skin, they do not see me
Since I am "different", I am separated
And although they give many reasons
I know that it is not because of
My hair, or the way I dress, but
Yell at me, throw stuff at me
I am allowed here
Don't point over there
Just because a word separates us
We are the same
The sun began to set as little Johnny trudged on
three hours ago he found out that his mother was gone.
Dead by water maybe dog or cane
but all johnny knew is they didnt even know her name.
When Obama won they said it’s over. He won. He’s in.
I say no. One triumph does not erase past sin.
The pen has hit the paper, the paper has been passed saying in the United States of America, slavery no longer lasts.
My Bones Ache
My Hairs Grey
My Pride is Gone
Can I Rest Now?
You Ask For My Seat
I Say No
My Hands Are Cuffed
Can I Rest Now?
We fight For Whats Right
Boycotting Transportation
When February rolls around, I think of all of them.
The brave strong men and women, who fought for my freedom.
Not just Martin and Rosa, Little Rock too,
But all those unsung heroes, just like me and you.
Our forefathers bled for us.
They took the pain of being
different away.
They fought against the
stubborn who would never
allow black people to have
rights.
We take for granted the freedoms we have
The biggest freedom of all to some
Are civil rights and liberty
African Americans will stand on my behalf.
We often do not look back at the past as if we were there
Both ironic and congruent in how the black mans hands bled in the same manner Jesus' did. Broken skin, a result, not of barabaric acts, but of the extended handshake with peace. Peeling along the life line, good-bye my brother.
This sistah would like to say
That finally Revolution is on its way
Dig, my People?
Just as the "New Negro" replaced the "Coloreds"
Black is replacing the "New Negro"
Shoot,
Sweltering day
Solution: ice cream
Fell into unwanted trouble
Pain splattering across my back
Anger biting my arm
I hear laughing
Nothing is funny
If I could see over this farmed hills,
I wouldn't have to be afraid of life's thrills.
I am here for you brother-man
Here to lend a simple hand.
The pain they felt
I cannot imagine
They fought for rights
With such great passion
They fought for right
With all their strength
They fought to be equal
To fight this hate
The fight for rights
The pain they felt
I cannot imagine
They fought for rights
With such great passion
They fought for right
With all their strength
They fought to be equal
To fight this hate
The fight for rights
They stand tall,
They stand proud,
Sadly they fall,
Within a big crowd,
On that day in ’65,
In that month of March,
We watch as some die,
In the midst of a march
If that mysterious man of old awoke
What tales would he tell?
If that mysterious man of old awoke
What praise would he sell?
Growing up, all I ever heard was how the "white man" would keep us down.
How all they ever wanted to do was see me frown.
How I was suppose to accept this as life truth
and never enjoy the fruits of my youth.
I left the Home, a shabby lumbering shack,
Taking only the clothes on my back
And the chime of Symmetrical thoughts,
And walking with Ambitious steps,
Trampling the Dirty paths, and
In a time of hardship,
Many fear the fight,
Many face the fight,
Going day by day struggling,
Many face the fight,
Trying to ignore the ignorant people,
Many face the fight,
I love my civil rights,
It helps to keep state laws tight.
The 13, 14, and 15th amendment,
How dare you try to suspend it!
It protected my heritage race,
Guaranteed freedom in any place
A whistle to myself,
I whistled a song,
A song about a woman,
frightened by the black night,
frightened by what she don't understand,
she calls upon the daylight,
and then it comes,
I see what your scared of,
that thing inside that you want, the burning fire,
te desire for change,
you thought you could do it alone but your just one,
thats what the doubters say,
They are scared, they fear, they suppress my uniform
They demoralize my people because of what we represent
Just because of the way we communicate, look, and express ourselves
Through my eyes, I see warriors, fighting for battles in unity.
Fighting for color, fighting for peace, and for rightful humanity.
No guns, no knives, just armed with souls that weep for equality;
I felt connection there,
my yellow skin flashing in stark contrast with
the black in my right hand,
the white in my left.
Darkness was all that was there
Black, the color of a rising movement
Hate, the feeling that overflowed the nation
White, actions patterned with violence
Hope, fuel for peaceful end to hate
Darkness was all that was there
Black, the color of a rising movement
Hate, the feeling that overflowed the nation
White, actions patterned with violence
Hope, fuel for peaceful end to hate
There once was a man who said, "I have a dream."
This man's dream was to be more than what he seem.
To not be classified simply by color, but to be equal by each other.
Lost soul
Lost faces
One Color
Lost Races
Here but not in existence, just traces
Draws warnings on these spaces
Knows but doesn't feel
Wounded but never healed
Eyes open or close they see
I love your brown skin
I can't wait to see you again
Again to see your brown skin
Marred by the stormy weather discrimination
Oh you know I love your brown skin
Some will call you a yellow bone,
People being treated unfair,
Being judged for their race,
For racism is cruel,
This is why we now have Civil Rights,
Freedom for religion,
Freedom of speech,
This is why we have laws,
Look at all these presidents,
They're all the same kind of gentlemen.
Wearing their suits and ties.
I wonder where are their wives.
Sitting at home?
Perhaps, I don't know
Because they can't tag along.
The riders are teachers,
The marchers are leaders,
The man they all look too,
Is a Baptist preacher.
She sat in a chair,
Not willing to share,
To stand for her rights,
Without being compared.
It's as if they fear the color
Will drip off of their skin and stain their clothes
As if they may breathe it in
Like a poison
Like a disease
They squint their beady little eyes
Staring
Menacingly
A century before,
Not quite a distant enough memory
brother fought brother
on an all too familiar soil.
Walking down the street
My daughter holds my hand
It's a warm day.
Turning a corner
A man says hello
I smile, and greet
My daughter jerks me
"what are you doing?"
A cutting whisper
Some say ignorance is bliss, but I dare to disagree;
I say ignorance is what the eyes are afraid to see.
On the outside you may think these people are friends through whatever;
The Bible reads
"All Men Are Created Equal"
So why do you detest me so?
My heart beats
My brain thinks
I have emotions
Just like you.
Why do you treat me so differently?
I see on TV
Why does skin color matter?
We are people, arent we?
Black brown or white
We differ but its alright
I've seen my people enslaved by these monsters
I haven't seen them escape very far
Still trapped by their masters, or the ones that claim they are
And they've been hypnotized by those damn cars
Why won’t it change color?
I try so hard
To scrub off the darkness
That will never go away
It brings so much trouble and shame
They stare at “it”
Define me through “it”
But I am more than that
Silence sweeps over the cotton fields of present day Georgia
As gentle winds tickle the cypress and the pine.
Streams ebb contently in their beds.
Who would have thought in such a beautiful place,
I am a product of the Earth, much like you.
My people blossom in the motherland, soaking in the bright sun.
Our vines weave around the rough terrain, entangling in each other
We grow in these dense fields.
I had a dream, he had a gun.
I asked if I could sit, they asked if I could run.
Without justice there is no peace, they say “I have justice so is there peace?”
Equal people, same in hand and face,
but outcast quickly when not the chosen race.
Die for beliefs that should self explain,
that treatment you beg for, hope to gain.
Scream and battle with tooth and fist,
Civil rights are right, right?
Yes, indeed they are right,
because it say so in the phrase,
don't have an eyebrow to raise,
because civil rights are right.
In today's world, we hear about the civil rights movements in history class.
We think, "that was so long ago, does it even matter now?"
Most teens only think about our country now, not it's past.
This is a Rise^
For All of Those who have Died
in order to keep the Living Hope Alive
This a Rise^
For All of those who wear a disguise
There's no need to hide
Oreos. Zebras.
There are jokes about both
That are funny to even the most welcoming of people.
When two races mix,
Two races so different as black and white, literally,
Judgment is passed,
Capture the past
I'll let it live
Very loud, asking for forgiveness
Ignite a passion for history
Let you beat me like I beat you
We're marching for our freedom and rights
Picking up a righteous fight
The streets are paved in black and white
So join us as we march for our morning light
By the way things used to bug me
is not the same way it bugs them
but with euality and equity it bugs us all now;
I know i wasn't able to do things they did
but now i can do what they do
here they come, riding on the two buses that would have changed the world, here they come, the freedom riders here they come.
In a bus, in the city of Montgomery,
A woman came aboard.
Little did anyone know at the time,
That this woman would change the world.
When I walk down the street,
You look at me funny
Saying in your mind
“we don’t like your kind sonny.”
Dream, Dream
That's all I ever knew
I have a few
Dream, Dream
Don't you see
We are one, not three
Dream, Dream
My skin is dark
That doesn't mean I need a mark
I had a dream last night that turned into a nightmare,I woke up still asleep and walked to school full of fear.The kids gave me weird looks and I didn't know why,
Rosa, Martin, and I
We agree, see eye to eye.
Ain't we all equal?
Ain't we all people?
Susan, Sojourner, and I
Also see eye to eye.
“Ain't I a woman?”
Just as good as any man?
who is we
where does this we reside
is it the same place as where we’ve come from
have we progressed at all or is here to comfortable
are the chains to comfortable
what if harriet tubman was afraid of the dark
I Am The Waves In The Ocean And The Roots Of The Trees.
I am wind and thunder and rain.
I am the image of my father, Kemet.
I am soil and breath and soul.
I am Africa personified.
In the way I walk
Black and white.
White for new beginnings, fresh starts, and enlightenment,
Black, the color of passion, strength, and warmth.
There was a time in this country it was a sin to be black,
when limp bodies dangled like bloated, forbidden fruit
and ‘coon’ was considered a pet name.
Because I'm Black
Of course, fried chicken
Is a part of my essential nutrients
Knowing how to "twerk"
Is clearly
In my blood
Affirmative action.
A good idea?
Perhaps.
Equality for all races...
Hate that word, races.
Tells of a division
Separate groups
Of black, and white.
"Why?" some ask
Not understanding
I blame you
You are why they lower their expectations
Why they say “Hey grrr” instead of “Hey girl” around me
Why they assume I’m poor
Why they talk down to me
Inspiration
Thought
Process
A dream achieved
Faces a dream deferred
A dream achieved
Means success occurred
A dream achieved
Had mountains to climb
A dream achieved
I am an American
For my blood helped build this country
It was this blood that grew crops and
weaved the clothes on the moon's back
The moon would be nothing
without the sun
to graze it's face
