A Common Misconception
Have you ever walked down a street
And stared at the people’s face?
So you can have an understanding,
Of who lives in that place
Like a street in Port-au-Prince
Or Dudley Station, in Boston.
Filled with so many brown faces,
For one to get lost in.
A common Misconception
Outside their Community, and also within,
Is the exact definition
Of the color of their skin.
Why are we Black
When our skin is clearly brown
Because Black is synonymous with evil?
Is it a way to push us into the ground?
Are you trying to make us submit?
Like a priest submits to a God?
You’ll find your attempts futile
Our people are too strong
We survived the Middle Passage
And Jim Crow in the Sixties
Never have we weakened
Nor did we seek any sympathy
We continue to pump our fists
And from no challenge we will cower
We will continue to plead our rights
But this time shout Brown Power
Brown like the earth
Which stays steady beneath our feet
Copper like the sun
That provides a steady wave of heat
I am not ugly for my nose
You are not ugly for your lush lips
Not for my curly hair
Nor your wide curvy hips
And do not listen to those
Who claim too dark to see your face
Because the darker the chocolate
The richer it tastes
We recognize our strength
And created our own visual perception
Easily keep us down?
What a common misconception!