Reversable

[Aurelia]

Reversable


Pig•ment
The color of my skin
What’s on the outside, what is not within
It comes out in song,
In poetry, in verse
Through culture and voice
The subject, even now, is still so terse
Some refuse to discuss it
Pretend it doesn’t exist
But I, for one, wish
The racism would cease and desist

Now, let’s make some noise
For those who defend
Their rights ‘til the end
And see no difference
‘Tween black man and friend
Who only desire
The simplest of blends
Between dark and light, chocolate and milk
There’s little left today of the ilk

If someone saw me now, they’d see bone-white
Pale as a virgin—no need to fight
But when they see my real side
Who I am, who I’ve been, for the whole ride
They’d say, “Who is this person? What has the become?”
And I’d smile and say, “Why, my dear son,
I’ve been this same person all this time long
If only you had stopped to listen to my song
What I think, feel, and flout,
I’m black on the inside, white on the out.”