Black

The color of my skin,

The color of your thought,

The luster of my being,

Your imagination’s drought,

Yes I am black, God made me so,

And I am grateful, even though,

You tease me or treat me bad,

Assault me in fury like mad,

Do not I breathe? Am I dead?

Don’t my children deserve a life?

Why, O why, you call me names?

Why you shame me before my wife?

Look at me, I am your brother,

Look within, ignore the leather,

Do not point out at God’s creation,

His artistry is beyond imagination,

Wipe my tears, laugh with me,

Beneath this skin is a human,

I am like you, you are like me,

We are one family, one nation,

I am not a nigger, I have a name,

I am someone, have some shame,

I am an equal, not high nor low,

I am black, God made me so.

From My Poems: Twenty Ten