Black by Sophia Li

I was born as vermin

say your cruel misconceptions,

rusty black skin defining who we are,

the deep scars you’ve left in our hearts, bleeding and hurting.

I’m desperate to know, what did I do wrong?

Our innocent hearts, your brutal souls,

all that we desire

is for all hearts to beat in harmony.

You kill my people, threaten and discriminate against us.

As if leaving us in this black and white world isn’t already enough,

fire starts flaming and raging

as you press my fellow people on the ground, suffocate them.

I sense the frightening smell of fear and rage.

Fighting and screaming, we hunger for justice.

We stand far away from one another, on opposite shores of the sea

though, only a small alley stands in the way of our harmony.

I was born as a victim, because you can’t accept us.

All that differs from you and me is our looks.

You don’t stand at the peak of a colossal mountain.

We didn’t sink to the very bottom of the deep ocean.

We all feel pain. We all have passions. We all have flaws.

We all deserve chances. It’s been excruciating, I’ve suffered long enough.

It's time to break out of this prison cell of anguish, with bars of despair.

After all, we’re all part of the human race. We all matter.