The Vow

The vow Strip the black man of his color And the white man of his tint Don’t forget the brown, the yellow Even the red man, get the hint? Make them colorless and pasty Let us see who’ll take the lead Who will feel intimidated? Will the color clash proceed? And is it really in the color In the tint and in the shade? What then if we mix the colors? Does that mean it is a trade? Do we trade our inner beings When we unify our hearts? When we unify our thinking? Is that why we’re still apart? Are we so afraid of losing Our worth and our place? Could that be the very reason Why we won’t give each his space? Let us therefore do the stripping Strip the things that don’t allow Us to see that what’s of value So let’s all just make this vow ’I will not see just a color But a person, yes, a soul Whom I will respect and honor From now on that’ll be my goal.’ Wendy Nipas