Mom says it’s da ghetto.
Mom says her child is better than that white trash. But how so?
Mom says niggers walk down the street at all hours.
That’s where the words cease to flow.
The words are cut off briskly by my attitude; the mind that has never tolerated racism; the character that told my father at age six that anyone could have taken a shit by our pond, not specifically a person of color.
“Please, Daddy. Get real. It could have been a person as white as snow!”
But this attitude never infiltrated my elders’ minds.
Mom still says she won’t be at my wedding if I decide to marry Jacquizz.
The constant criticism of color will never be allowed to affect my ears, let alone my brain.
There are no voices inside that tell me to focus on fear.
Only my mother’s.
But mothers know best, right?
BULLSHIT.
There was no crack house busted next door.
There was no car stolen in the church parking lot.
And no one was mugged at the deli, Mom.
Just plain bullshit.
To feed these thoughts, she conceived that she was so cleverly placing in intricate corners of my mind.
Ha!
I shall live my life just fine, thank you.
After all, at twenty-two, it is called Liberty.
At the Corner of Liberty
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Filed under Willow Hutton
Powerful. Thank you
that poem says it all
This was moving, and as a person of color I commend you for standing up to what you believe is morally right :)
This is fantastic…left me breathless.
Mothers words are always in the back of our minds no matter how hard we try to quiet them. Great words.
Goplayintraffic
As a good friend once said racism will get you nowhere. So good to hear you are not influenced by others negative beliefs
I had forgotten about you working on this the other week, it’s so great to see that you completed it!
Heck yes, Sangretti! Finished it up last night! I’m quite pleased with the ending result.
Thanks for the support, everyone! Glad you are enjoying my work!
It’s amazing that a child can become a fair-minded, well-rounded adult growing up amidst such racism.
You rock! Never stop believing in your own wonderful thoughts.
Thanks for ‘Following’ me!
Thanks for this. A beacon of light in a pretty murky world.
You are most welcome! I’m ecstatic that everyone enjoyed this piece so much. It is most definitely one of my favorites of mine.
i love every bit of this. thank you for sharing your truth!
Great poetry – but this one is special. And thanks for responding to one of my posts.