I am not black.
5’3, Junior, Poet.
I am not black,
Daughter, Sister, Cousin.
I am not black,
Scholar, Student, Writer.
I am not black,
Woman, Child, Queen.
I am not black.
Why must you stand here, dictating?
Why must you sit here and label?
I am far more than your label.
I am far more than your ideal.
I am beyond your expectations.
Black is not a color, it is a shade.
I am no shade.
I am who you want to be.
I am more.
I am not black.
I am beautifully brown-skinned,
I am Mother Earth, I am the sky,
I am the food you grow,
The tongue you speak,
the soul you oppress,
The soil you dare trample on
As you wage your verbal war.
I am not black.
I am your future.