Melanated Trees and Muffled Screams

Apology Not Given

Hello I am black
Oh I'm sorry you wanted my name
I guess when you get stamped all the time with labels it gets a little hard to remember just who you are
Actually
That's not true
I know exactly who I am
I'm a 5 foot 1 black girl with a head that holds more than beautiful curls
I've got a brain filled with so many emotions I've been told not to express because of how I'll look
I have to be careful of how I speak just so I won't break the eggshells they placed beneath me
But I'm tired of lowering my voice so society can't hear the mistreatment of black people
Fortunately for them, hearing and listening aren't the same
They can pick and choose which news station to see another dead black person and act like it's okay and normal
They tape our mouths with stereotypes just so it fits between our lips
It makes it seem like we're the ones saying it to them
They never want us to remove that tape, so their secrets stay hidden
They would rather cover the fact that they're the issue, than support us
Our issues go past a tweet and an internet movement
We need a physical movement called progress
And yet we're still behind the caution tape of life telling us we aren't safe
We should not have to explain ourselves, just for you to ignore us and stamp a label over us
I will not apologize for being a beautiful person
With skin that glows and absorbs the sun
With hair that not only defies gravity, but has its own character
And with a voice that refuses to be ignored