Excerpt from “The World and How I See It” pg. 26
February 01/2011
Something seems fishy to me
These black people and their once a year history
So if you ask me if I celebrate
I’ll answer sarcastically
Then be like
I celebrate me
Like
Everyday
I didn’t know that I was history
Do forgive me if I don’t believe their sincerity
Sincerely
Maybe you’ll look at me and try to educate me
Say if I don’t know where I’m coming from
I don’t know where I’m going see
This is where I know you misunderstood the rhetoric
And the following questions will come back with no answers
But I’ll ask them rhetorically
How can I celebrate a history that’s mired in absurdity
Celebrate that they made a slave of part of my ancestry
My genealogy
Is so mixed up I couldn’t tell you who it was or is
That is me
And why is it after we
Don’t know who we are
They’ve finally forced us to be
Black people
Not even second class citizens
Right now or historically
Why do I need to be told when
No matter how “iconically”
Revered
The martyr might be
When I’m able to celebrate my humanity
And now they call me the Grinch
I won’t even point out the absurdity
And since I thought that we reached equality
I won’t even point out the irony
But still say it’s strange to me
Because a celebration is supposed to be
In regards to this
The death of something
Making it an idea of novelty
Whether it be
The new or the old
But I keep waking up everyday
To this black history
And for some every February
Absurdity
Then I remind myself that
Without the past in our memories
We’ll most likely repeat this “black history”
Revisit these “dark tragedies”
So for the sake of humanity
I swallow my pride and let it be
But I don’t think they really care anymore
I just see routine without meaning
Feeling
Sometimes as I’m grieving
That I’ve blatantly
Been deceived and
I don’t know what to believe in
I get over myself and let it be
Because you can’t oppose what’s under the rug
Blatantly
Obviously
And even though I know it will come to nothing
And I let it be
It will all remain a mystery
I’ll leave you stating regretfully
I wish I saw it differently
But it’s all fishy to me
Hold on
Why is it in certain places
We know nothing of this black history
Or before we migrate to certain places
We’re human beings with potent memories
Not caring about this distinct
“Distinguished” place in American history
As if there are other races involved
And they lived
And are living it separately
I asked rhetorically