I Stand Alone

I am at a crossroad An opaque unjustifiable crossroad of an eminent culture clash Developed over a faulty, unforgiving history Where stereotypes and accepted defeat Plague the few of us that stand on such middle ground At the crossroad of the black and white society I stand alone As I climb the indefinite ladder of success I notice I am surrounded by more and more pale faces In which I come off as surprise Where eyebrows raise heads turn at my intelligence and eloquence Eyes blinded to the fact “smarts” resides in all the color of God’s children No matter how many ways I am turned, flipped, or folded I cannot fit into the box you carelessly put those of my race I do not follow your stencils of stereotypes and low expectations The work of proving myself is a job with no breaks But at last, when I gain such approval and acceptance is achieved Some try to disconnect you from your heritage Deeming you “a good one” As if I come from a purely evil race I Stand Alone But 10x worst is the rejection by my own people Where annunciating, correct grammar, and being a motivated student Quickly gave me the label of “acting white” Why is it that intelligence is depicted as a sacred white trait As if a 4.0 made me four shades lighter Phenomenal leaders fought for our opportunities To have an education and rise above the inadequate image the black race and escape the endless loop of oppression The lashes to the back The lost grip of a family member’s hand The valiant marches The vicious dogs ripping away at ankles The intense sermons, speeches, and convictions The enduring of hateful names and crimes in which justice did not come to their rescue but how do we show appreciation to our ancestors who had suffered so much? Create music that degrades our women Express a mouth-watering, unhealthy praise of material objects Corrupting our young, developing minds Violating and raping the image of our culture Letting the things we were told we can’t do carry into our present mindset Withholding low standards and low ambitions How are we allowing such a rich, overcoming culture crumble to pieces And make the ones who break through these heavy shackles still look like we are in bondage In the suppose comfort of my own race I stand alone