Tokens

I used to think of tokens in terms of appreciation Until someone mentioned something in passing they said they had grown weary of being a token What a curious thing to say is what I thought at the time But I soon got to see it all for what it really was It often starts off innocently enough The appeal of getting the opportunities denied the rest of your kind draws you in initially To be the exception to the rule is most certainly a thrill You get to be the exotic one while the others are seen as repulsive It can quickly turn to one selling their soul to earn or maintain approval It's an easy trap to fall into in all fairness In most cases you have to be a yes man Willing to vote against your kind to fit in Being a complete and shameless sell out is a must You have to put up with being stereotyped for effect Even throw in a few laughs at bigoted jokes aimed at your kind for added bonus Nobody wants to be rejected obviously but being a token might result in self betrayal or even self hate,I think You have to shun a part of yourself in order to be useful in concealing disparity Be the bold voice and face that represents a false display of equality How do you ever look your kin in the eye again after that, I wonder Or even look at your skin and coily hair with love ever again Do you simply stop seeing any of that as part of your identity, maybe How does one even begin to cope with all that burden You might even start believing the scam that you have been lured into Its truly tragic in my opinion But then again what do I know I'm not built to be a pet I'm an African wildling I was born free