Black in America

The world will close their eyes to me.
My voice will go unheard.
My tears will go unseen.
My cries will be silenced by the absence of compassion
For I am
Black in America.

A woman,
Fighting to climb my way
Out of a box
No bigger than the space I am standing in,
Spending hour after hour saying
"Yes, sir."
"No, sir."
"Thank you, sir."
Just to collect a paycheck that is
Far below my worth.
I do not make a fuss.
I do not complain.
I do not make reference to my disagreement
Of pay.
It is what feeds me.
It is what keeps me warm at night.
It is what keeps a roof over my head.
It is what puts clothes on my back and shoes on my feet.
It is my life line to surviving being
Black in America.

You will not find me on a corner
Begging for a handout.
For someone to pay my way through a society
That's already deemed me ignorant
From the day I was born.
I have lived by a pride
That's taught me the essence of strength.
The equality of life.
It's given me character,
An identity of self.
An individuality to live beyond the barriers of being
Black in America.

This new generation will rewrite the
Star Spangle Banner,
And "Freedom Ring" will become more
Than just a verse in a song.
I will tell of my glory days when taking a stand for being
Black in America
Will draw out discrimination and the irony of prejudice thinking
And put them to rest forever.
And through our eyes we will all see Jesus as one color,
Where compassion for all mankind
Will reign supreme.

I'll pull my hair into a pony tail,
Roll up my sleeves to live to fight another day,
For the strength and will power
To climb out of this box and be
Recognized for the woman I was put here to be.
Not some body else's idea of an unimagined fantasy,
But to be me,
The woman the world chose to leave behind.
I will grab the prize...That which was always mine.
To be the new color of the rainbow,
And others will wish they could share the
Skin I'm in being
Black in America.