pride in the name of love

by jotadavida

Posted to Action Poetry on 2002-01-21 16:27:00

Parent message is 100078
back when I was a kid
they called African Americans “colored”
the use of “negro” or “negra”
as the potbellied porkpied hat wearing white men would sit and
curse in the july sun, since it was
not quite in vogue just then
at least not in that part of Missouri
just yet
black swept in like the weathermen
wow so outasight
and we never said the n word in the projects
except if they called us honky cracker ass whitey first
eugene cruz
greg weston
edward carey
going home
in an african american dream
hushed
bowed
saying prayers by
the washerroom under the stairs
or by the swings
or the sandlot
running for touchdowns
and stevie wonder
sayin it all
everythin will be all right
don’t you worry about a thing, mama
what I learned growing up in the projects
was that it didn’t matter what color skin you wore
fools and kings came in every shade of night and day

thanks mark

keep the dream alive




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