It’s needed because our skin was once considered cursed
Because our hair offends unless straightened into submission
It’s needed because people still see our bodies
And assume the capacity of our minds
It’s needed for car doors locked and bags clutched tighter
By those who see us as a threat for breathing
It’s needed for every tear shed as this nation was built
On backs that bore whips and burdens
It’s needed for crosses burned on countless lawns
And historical retellings that reek of denial
It’s needed because respectability doesn’t save lives
And “I don’t see color” isn’t an achievement
It’s needed because academia let us in
But seldom does it say “make yourself at home.”
It’s needed for comments that approximate mockery
And celebrations misconstrued and dismantled
We need it to lament our scars and laud our successes
And we’ll need it until “why” becomes a rhetorical question.
penned February 2024.
Have I constructed
Narratives with my own hands
And claimed God built them?
poison rarely tastes deadly when it goes down
it was just on the tip of our tongues
now we’re dopamine-drunk off sweet nothings
before we can realize it’s wrong
we’re dancing with demons
knowing they’re wants dressed as needs
claiming they fit holes shaped like hearts
but we fall for it
thoughtlessly pushing start
accepting the rules of engagement
double-dog-daring the edge of a cliff
asking how close we can come with no regrets
we’ve paused just a second too late
allowed soul ties to speak tainted truths
entangled in the syntax
syllables dripping danger like rain
temptation tiptoes inside
wearing wordplay like a cloak
so clever it makes pain feel gentle
leaving us taken and trapped
at the mercy of the venom
addicted to what’s in our veins
soon we are lying through our teeth
fingers foolishly crossed behind us
promising we’ll hit it one last time
