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Just get over it

'Just get over it'
No we still haven't received reparations
And they are long overdue
Why would we get over it 
When you prance around wearing bags made of our skin
Sitting your privileged self's on chairs oh so familiar 
The fabric - our skin 
But you'll never know 
You'll never care 
Because of your ignorance 
Because what you don't know won't hurt you
But a little secret, I promise you it hurt us 
Can't you hear the echoes of our ancestors 
Or is your inability to basic human emotions 
Cause you to go deaf in both of your ears

'Just get over it'
No how about you don't deny our history's existence 
How about you stop going on the defence
Everytime you hear about the black experience 
Why would we get over it 
When it slaps us in the face 
Every single day
Through the blood stained pavements 
From segregation to alienation 
Through the changing of weapons
Long gone are the harsh echoes of the whips
Is now the sharp bang of a gunshot
Going from personal torture
To cowardly killings

'Just get over it'
How can we
When everyday we carry the scars of our ancestors 
And you carry the evil spirit of your ancestors 
How are we supposed to walk the streets
Where public lynchings was free entertainment 
Because no matter how hard you try to erase
The echoes of violence still linger 
And the weight of generational trauma clings to a world we built

'Just get over it'
You may have drowned our cities 
And set fire to our towns 
But one thing remains known
Is how you'll never silence our screams
How can we get over it
When the rope Hangs from the trees
When segregation is over yet the ice in your eyes make known we are unwelcome
How sundown towns still exist with the same outcome
Where every ship is haunted by the fear
Our people faced 
Drowning in the eerie thoughts of what's to come 
When black history month 
Reminds that nothing has really changed 
The only difference is the rules of game they made
And the changing of the games name

You claim we are stuck in the past 
But we are still living in it 
How can we forget 
When there's constant reminders
Hiding in every corner 
Where every shadow leads to another piece of trauma 
That reminds black is not just a colour

Copyright © Layla Riley-Hill

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