Complexion

I wrote this crying

See my colour, my shadow

terrifying jokul and hyde two phased monsters?

See your people surrounding me like in Steve Harvey's show?

Like a chalkboard staining me with dusters

Holding stones like I am in Pakistan

Like some  ransom worthy nonsense

Ignorant. With me, black is a title of titans

Like I'm some ritual thing, doesn't make sense

Grabbing me adjacent a cliff

Like I was there for trig

Proving they can take life off a black man

At that moment...

I forgot wasn't South Africa

And hugged a girl in India

"Izaat my foot" I groaned.

A grip terribly grasping my groin

As I howled " I'm a child of Nelson Mandela"

as my voice fade down void drain

I squalled, mourning my pain

I knew that I was still not in Africa

I roared rage like a South African lion

uttering....

" Before the great flood we were black

Before splitting our voices in a tower touching heaven

we were black

Before metamorphosis of great continents

we were black

before Luther, Malcom and Nelson

we were black

Before the hymns which mould this earth we were black!"

my complexion your retina receive is deceiving your acumen.

Reviews

[Daryl Matthews]

Oh my god, this gave me chills. I'm really speechless, except to say that I'm awestruck by the power and emotion electrifying every line of this. (Applause.)

[The earth (Titan maphaha)]

nicely written review... thanks Marie

[EshaA]

Very well written.. I wish this poem gives people some sense to stop racism. Keep writing.

[dw817]

I like that last line especially. I can definitely see this being done to some chill down beats and rap.

And yes - it is fully believed in the beginning, we were all of one color. I'm not sure what changed that ...

[The earth (Titan maphaha)]

Thanks hey....