deepundergroundpoetry.com
Growing Up A Person Of Color
It feels dark between the rain,
drops magnified from mist,
suspended over cracked sidewalks,
color gone from gray
Daggers lined the streets, of
filthy persuasion where
children play
Who is left to raise up, their
starlit eyes?
I grew up, a person of color
The sky melted before each step.
Puddles, of societal acceptance
drip through the screens
of old lead pane windows
Each season my life brought
new ways, to be accepted
I grew up, waiting for darkness
to split me in two, allowing
me to finally walk free
drops magnified from mist,
suspended over cracked sidewalks,
color gone from gray
Daggers lined the streets, of
filthy persuasion where
children play
Who is left to raise up, their
starlit eyes?
I grew up, a person of color
The sky melted before each step.
Puddles, of societal acceptance
drip through the screens
of old lead pane windows
Each season my life brought
new ways, to be accepted
I grew up, waiting for darkness
to split me in two, allowing
me to finally walk free
Published 25th Jul 2020
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25th Jul 2020 9:58pm
Good poem, Val. I simply cannot relate to this, Val, But I am certain I may have inadvertently contributed to the issue through ignorance. At least we know we're headed in the right direction!
25th Jul 2020 10:57pm
Thank you
My very best friend in grade school was a black girl named Simone
This was written with her and myself in mind mostly her and the conversations we had and the personal feelings we shared
You have been instrumental in persuading me and hopefully others to take a more in depth look within
Thankyou
My very best friend in grade school was a black girl named Simone
This was written with her and myself in mind mostly her and the conversations we had and the personal feelings we shared
You have been instrumental in persuading me and hopefully others to take a more in depth look within
Thankyou
25th Jul 2020 11:01pm
It takes someone with an open mind and heart to be willing to seek deeper inside themselves, Val. ❤
26th Jul 2020 4:43am
I don't judge people because of race, religion, or sex. I get to know the person and their culture. Keep on writing.
27th Jul 2020 4:30pm
Dear Friend, Val
Bravery has come to your service! I see you struggling here between two worlds and assuming the persona of the underdog from the underworld. You find pain in your habitation, which you must occupy until some ransom can rescue you -- even by having to split you in two.
You bring to mind John Howard Griffin, who voluntarily went into the skin of a Black man by chemical transformation. When his Project was over, Griffin returned to his birthplace, where he was burned in effigy on the main street of his hometown and forced to flee from his home to escape possible persecution from White hate groups.
Congratulations. This kind of expression on the part of a poetess must be a notable extreme of empathy -- as also for Griffin before you.
Sincerely
cab
Bravery has come to your service! I see you struggling here between two worlds and assuming the persona of the underdog from the underworld. You find pain in your habitation, which you must occupy until some ransom can rescue you -- even by having to split you in two.
You bring to mind John Howard Griffin, who voluntarily went into the skin of a Black man by chemical transformation. When his Project was over, Griffin returned to his birthplace, where he was burned in effigy on the main street of his hometown and forced to flee from his home to escape possible persecution from White hate groups.
Congratulations. This kind of expression on the part of a poetess must be a notable extreme of empathy -- as also for Griffin before you.
Sincerely
cab
28th Jul 2020 1:51am
29th Mar 2021 11:48pm
I thought about this issue recently and it came to me that being black is a cross that we bear and whiteness comes wrapped in the gifts of unearned privileges which are a birthright.
Freedom will then have its limitations depending on where you are born, the color of your skin, education, social strata, etc. There are so many factors that come to the equation and at the end those who are able to overcome the obstacles put before them enjoy success in whatever form it comes.
Freedom will then have its limitations depending on where you are born, the color of your skin, education, social strata, etc. There are so many factors that come to the equation and at the end those who are able to overcome the obstacles put before them enjoy success in whatever form it comes.
