The Biracial Child's Burden

Pile on the Biracial Child’s burden--

Fill her hands with hair products,

Rip the curls from her white scalp

And begin to reconstruct.

Bleach her skin pure white,

Bask in her shouts and pleads.

Leave her roots and mind numb.

The Melanin shall never succeed.

Pile on the Biracial Child’s burden—

Tell her the best are purebred.

Mutts are cheap for a reason,

Not wanted living but dead.

Corner her, back to the wall.

Mutts always lose the fight.

Always kicked, always down

She can bark but never bite

Pile on the Biracial Child’s burden--

Tear her family apart.

She can stand behind the gun,

Or have it rip out her heart.

Her father offers her a seat,

For her mother, she gets up.

Pour her some segregation,

With neither, she can share the cup

Pile on the Biracial Child’s burden--

Neither race on her side

She can speak for both her races,

But neither listen to her “whines”.

Too caucasian to be black,

Too cultured to be white.

She must pick her race soon

To stop her inner fight.

Pile on the Biracial Child’s burden--

Fill her gem eyes with tears,

As you give her the name mutt.

Her nose the butt of their jeers.

Speak her label, but not your own.

Mutt might as well be a swear.

Stamp her label upon her face,

So yours can vanish into thin air.