PoemsBrowse PoemsSlamsFresh DropEchoes
LearnWriting TipsPoetry TermsPoets & ArtistsBooksFor Teachers
ExplorePoetry GenomePoem MapEchoesTake ActionGroups
AboutWrite a PoemDonateSign UpLog In

If I Was White


Sometimes I wonder what it’d be like if I was white I believe my life would completely change if I was white I wouldn’t be closely watched as I walk through a store, if I was white People wouldn’t clutch there belongings when I stood near them, if I was white My friends wouldn’t make jokes about my skin color, if I was white I wouldn’t have to pretend like those jokes don’t bother me, if I was white My girlfriend wouldn't have to specify my race, when she told her parents about me, if I was white. People wouldn’t automatically assume I’m a thug, thief, gangster, poor, stupid, a rapist, a drug dealer, a criminal, or a “Super Predator”, if I was white And, yes, I talk about my skin color a lot I state the obvious by mentioning my blackness a lot But that’s because it’s always on my mind I am constantly reminded everyday in a million large and small ways that I am different from the people around me I'd be normal, if I was white I wouldn’t have to worry about being killed by a cop for “not complying”, if I was white It wouldn’t even be a question, that my life matters, if I was white I wouldn't have to worry about the past becoming my future, if I was white I wouldn’t have to worry about being white, If I was white.
©All Rights Reserved

Something wrong with this poem?

Share

Replies are closed for this poem.

Your Poem's Voice

See what makes your poem unique — its voice, energy, themes, and the literary traditions it draws from.

Comments (0)

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.

Log in to leave a comment.