Friday, April 17, 2015

(Black) Life Matters - a poem

If the sun was out of work,
Would it need a resume?

Probably not

Summer, spring and all things
Beautiful 
that grow, 
would show its worth

But,
What if nearly everyone had shades on?
Some with lenses only slightly tinted
Some with them so dark, day and night look the same
While others wear pairs with personalized frames

If everyone wore sunglasses mornings and nights,
On Saturday errands; on red-eye flights,
In summer school classes; on late night dates,
What idea of sunlight would their minds create?

They’d focus on the heat, not the flowers it makes,
Feeling only its beat, and the comfort it takes
Escaping its rays in various ways -
Blocking the UV with self-tanning sprays

In that context,
References would be needed
In that culture,
Interviewing advice would be heeded

How else could you get covered eyes to like light?
(What a fight!)

However,
If you’re the sun
Or even a ray of it,
Maybe you just make a day of it
And shine

Through sunglasses, barred windows and half-opened blinds,
On ball-bounced concrete; through frozen color lines
On everyone; through every tear,
Giving warmth and life without apology or fear

Because the sun needs no ‘please,’
Only eyes
Uncovered and seeing
Summer, spring and all things
Beautiful…

Growing


Under stubborn sunlight

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