I Am.
An inner-dialogue about being black in America
I am black
A shadow image of my ancestry;
A perceived blemish to humanity.
I am black
A person whose limbs overshadow my mind;
an athletic student, not a scholarly athlete in their minds.
I am black
A pawn, the weakest piece in colonization’s game;
Slavery leaving me perpetually maimed.
I am black
A hyphenated-american;
In a country fixated on african.
I am black
An absence of color;
A hole in society painted as an other.
-
I am Black
One whose family tree branches rich traditions;
Rooted in the arts, religion, and soul food in addition.
I am Black
A countenance display of profound features;
Large-lipped, wide-nosed exotic melanin creature.
I am Black
A knight fortress when clanked with opposition;
Forever marching with pride and nobility through oppression.
I am Black
A vital symbol of the melting pot;
No longer asphyxiated by the rope’s knot.
I am Black
Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet…they’re all in me;
A cultural chromatic menagerie.
I am Black
United we stand our black fists and your national flags to the sky;
Let prejudice, hatred, and racism die.
Why?
We are Black.
About the Creator
Le'Quan Jackson
I enjoy making words worth a thousand pictures. My writing usually explores topics that touch on a colored boy's perspective - whether that color be the pigmentation of my skin or the rainbow palette of my sexuality.
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More stories from Le'Quan Jackson and writers in Poets and other communities.
A Little Black
As the local news raced across the screen, “Another black man killed at the hands of a white officer,” angst sprinted through his heart and mind as they relayed the baton of police brutality that strikes every black man’s sense of security in America. Desensitization would be passable, yes, but for a teenage boy who had already hurdled his way through self-discovery, events like this were beaten into his conscience as latent reminders of his alienation from actuality. “His family has been contacted to confirm identity.” Newman’s eyes dashed to the TV and then down into space.
By Le'Quan Jackson3 years ago in Families
Miniature Mind Musings #8:
Recently, I spoke with a family member who I struggled to catch up with for a longer timespan than I would’ve liked and what struck me was how societal templates filled in on successive days routinely suck our time into a vacuum of seemingly infernal deficiency.
By The Dani Writer7 days ago in Longevity
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