1 of 11

Write now Article Tools

I wasn't asked at birth
When mamma squeezed me out of her still slight girth
If I preferred my skin to be dark or light or in the middle
Nobody asked me to fiddle with
My pigment
So how am I to explain the actions of my ancestors, even a little bit?
I know the history, I just wish it were her story
Instead of the bloodshed washed through the claims of glory
I'm sorry

but I don't think I can say I have any pride
Take a ride through the past and you might see where I reside
They looked just like me those who committed homicide
They looked just like me those who committed genocide
They looked just like me men who brandished weapons at their side
They looked just like me but they never really looked
They never looked at all, from proverbs to graffiti in the bathroom stall
and voices in the hall laughed as they watched them fall

But it wasn't me

But I can identify with those who believe they have a right to look down on me
I can see their frustration and can almost agree
With sentiments that state they hate what people who looked just like me
did to their family's fates
It's crazy
But stillit just wasn't me
I wonder what it would be like if I woke up black
Given my temperment I know I'd fight back
And want to lynch those who looked just like you

But what did you do?

Nothing that you can undo
Nothing that makes you the epitome of the evil that men do
If I woke up Chinese would I hate the Japanese?
If I woke up Japanese would I hate the Canadian authorities
from the 1940s?
If I were a Jew would I hate a modern day German?
If I were made of two races, would I hate the puritans?
I'm through man, with all of this hate
I can't take it
Is there anybody that can take racism and bust like me?
And if I were a black man, would I hate someone who looked just like me...?

Learn more about this author, James Di Fiore.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Poetry: Racial understanding?
We want to hear your view. Write now!