I am black
My eyes are
Brown and deep
Kinky hair, dark skin
Do not complete
Who I am.
I am at once
One and many
For there is more
To me than we.
I am a brilliant shade, a spark
Descending from
An ancient spectrum.
I am not a threat
Or stained statistic for
Political agendas.
I am not
A cover for those
Who cower behind
Ignorance and prejudice.
I am not
An expectation
Or callous caricature to
Assuage your guilt.
I am
Mother, father
Son, daughter
Sister, brother.
I am you
I am devotion, family, labor
I dream, struggle, rise.
Your kind eyes
Should see me
In the fair light
That beams
From inside.
There is more
To learn when
The open mind
Chooses life not race.