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What is a black man supposed to be?
How is a black man supposed to act?
When is a black man supposed to talk?
Why are all the answers hidden?
“A black man is supposed to be-“
A sentence being said by someone
Who’s skin is paler than snow
Instead of a skin darker than night
The standards they set for black men
Is like walking through pins and needles,
The path wasn’t made for black men to succeed
The path is to drain their life slowly.
“A black man is supposed to act-“
Being said by those as dark as him
They excommunicate the black man
Because he is the nail that stands out
The same black man wants to be comforted
Like how his mother held him and whispered
Into his ears, “Everything will be alright”
Those who look like him treat him as a stranger
They will only accept the black man when
He comes back with something pleasing.
This isn’t a community, it’s a pack
Who prey on the weak and young ones
“A black man is supposed to talk-“
Being said by those who want a reaction
They keep provoking the black man and
Record where he messes up to make excuses
The black man has to keep his feeling in control
If he explodes and looses control everyone sees
He’s labeled as a wild animal who needs to be locked in a cage
Everyone mocks him as he sits in the cell
Everyone wants to mold a black man.
They try to shape him as an inferior being
They try to shape him as a black thug
They try to shape him as a wild animal
What is a black man?
“Someone who acts as themself”
Stop telling me I should be me
What is that supposed to mean?
I just wish I knew all the answers.
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