Tuesday, March 2, 2010

My race (the poem I performed at the reading)

Black is my race, right?
So why am I running
Why must I fight?
Where will it end?
Where did it begin?
If I come in first
What do I win ?
And if I am the winner
Does someone else lose?
Is one race better
And who gets to choose?
I mean,

Black is my race, right
Am I worse off
If I am darker than night ?
Or better for being
Closer to the light?
Is my hair better if it’s
Thin like tissue
If it’s thick should I artificially
Fix the issue
I mean,

This is a race right
Are all races created equal
Or are we superior?
And if we rise above
Are others inferior?
Africa is where
We all come from
But I can’t point out a relative
So am I still a son?
And what exactly
Makes me a minority
If 9 out 10, look just like me?
I mean,

Black is a race, right?
But everything is a delicate
Balancing act
I won’t go too far
Even on the right track
Black isn’t a crime
Nor is it a sin
It’s just the colour
Of the skin
I happen to be in
But wait, it’s a race, right?

3 comments:

Marsha Sigman said...

Dawn, that is beautiful! Also I haven't gotten a chance to say how much I enjoyed your posts about performing. Totally freakin' brave. I would have thrown up.lol

This poem is awesome. I have goosebumps. It needs to be published!!

Claire Dawn said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Claire Dawn said...

Really? I thought it was good, but you know how we writers are: always not quite sure we're good enough.

I think I will try to get some of my poetry published some day.

Thanks!