Often told how to act
You need to behave yourself they say-
Show you have class
Or else you’ll be the stereotype they all laugh at
Far from perfect
I respond according to the things I see
Out here working just to seem free
I can’t control what society see’s
I’m labeled daily
Strangers turn around (without knowing a thing) and
Engage in the gossip that spreads like disease
(Yeah it’s like a disease)
You generate the hate that powers
The slave machines
But I’m told “it’s not as bad as it seems”
Tell me then why my truth’s been buried inside me
I hold this secret like the Vatican
Intensely protected by spiritual tenants
What you get are remnants
One day it’s all going to pour from my lips
Causing you to question who I am
Because the truth has (for centuries) been exploited
All sense of reality avoided
It’s left me voided but not voiceless
Feeling as if I have to walk in your shoes
Just to be relevant
I’m the “minority” because the pigment of my skin
Imagine all the preconceived assumptions...
I’m told to hate you
For the atrocities you created
It’s inevitable for me to fall between
(Those cracks)
You walk around with the label gun
Ready to tag my back
“You’re too dark”
“Too bold when you speak”
“Act like a lady”
I’ve heard it all
From every man who stands so tall
You told me, “you’re just a woman know your role”
I’m not the silent type
It’s not my job to be beautiful
I was raised by a tribe
Taught that I should never hide
Despite the hatred from the other side
It’s never just been men
Women (too)
‘White’ and those alike
Have participated in my demise
So I refuse to blame my problems
On one race
One gender
One type
You see we’re all guilty of selfishness
Our ego is the biggest culprit
We live in a world full of narcissists
No wonder the cycle of superiority
Is endless.
Written By: Desir'ee Chavez