Racial Bribery

How much does it cost to become White?

Can I get a discount if my name is Susan and not Maria 

Can I get a discount if I’m married to a White man 

Can I get a discount if I speak English without an accent 

Will you scan the barcode on my wrist to know “what country I came from” 

Will you see the discounted tag on my leg that lets you know I am cheaper than the rest because of my contributions to White supremacy 

Will you see the Nutrition Facts that I’ve applied on my face to have fairer skin and blue eyes 

You’ll find them, those that have been waiting in line for so long to be accepted in the clearance section

But I guarantee you that those of us in the organic section, haven’t consumed pesticides that fill our minds with lies about the privileges we’ll earn when we cross the line 

This bribe is some sort of medication that has been prescribed to people of color 

It’s not something you can purchase over the counter

No, its prescribed to those that will do anything to become White so that by the end of their journey they will have become addicts 

You see we become high and have fantasies of acceptance and privilege 

And it becomes yet another drug we have become addicted to 

But keep in mind it wasn’t one that the War on Drugs targeted 

I heard that Black Friday is when you give out your best deals

For every lie we buy into, two of our brown and black brothers and sisters are put behind bars for the same crime that the White man across the street in business suit committed 

But see I read the fine print and words between the lines of that White application that was shoved into my hands with the word “Urgent” stamped on it

The fine print reading “No matter what you give up, you’ll never be White” 

And at the very end of the application what others don’t seem to see is that there was an expiration date labeled 1607, signed by the first English settlers