Untainted

I am human; calm, cool, confident and well coloured;’ Sorry, that’s incorrect; sounds fake and ‘flowered’. I am human; brave, bold, brilliant and black; yes, Black! You don’t value me, but without you; still nothing I lack. Black; a very simple colour; but, not simply a colour; It cannot be formed by mixing colours – that is its’ power Black; it can’t be ‘reduced;’ yet tells a story in any light; It’s my gift, my lineage, my heritage, my blessed birth right. Formed from dust and given divine breath from my origin; Royally robed in physical strength; and, glistening melanin. I am unique, cultured, and energetic; with strutting swag; Others feel threatened; my presence, their minds can’t tag. I was used, miss-used, abused and mistreated; but, I survived; I was hunted, captured, owned, sold, enslaved; but, I thrived. They took away my dignity, family, possessions; even my name; I was beaten, stripped, laid bare and ashamed; but, I rose again. Centuries of slavery, torture, bondage, lynching, then, set free; Yet, physically strong and in glistening melanin – I’m still wholly me. They couldn’t understand then; and, can’t believe now; wondering how? How could ‘Blacks’ undergo this degradation and, still flourish now? Although, even now they still try to keep me down; to hold me back; They still don’t know how nor why – I get stronger, because I’m BLACK! End By: Dion Penville