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
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