Spoken Word: Am I Black Enough

She looked me square in the eye and said you are not Black enough
First time in my life I was taken aback, culture check, this is rough
For I'm so black, midnight has got to use a flashlight to find me
An ocean of crude, ignorant, uncultured, entering my Caribbean Sea
Delivering her criteria had me hamstrung and lost in sensibility
Accent is off you don't speak slang but headstrong about equality
Referring to my questioning as aggression and my verbiage as loud
Around here she said that'll get you killed you won't be that proud

My heart thumped, her words rocked me unaware
To be Black in this surrounding you had to adhere
Act subdued tow the line and wait to be accepted
Though with your color you'll be the first to be neglected
You're lost in your pleasantry, politically astute-like upbringing
Talking too articulate like you do a lot of reading
Questioning everything and demanding like you expect equality
Around here Black lives don't matter can't you see

I said If you roll a square rock long enough it'll start to get round
This Black was handed to me when my eyes visualized my surround
My intention is never accept the chartered course but make my own
Yielding not at rose petals but at the cuttings and seeds sown
This skin and palm vary in color each encounter different things
A great mahogany tree I'm the weathered bark protecting the rings
Outspoken with honesty as my guide. if death comes it's inevitable
I'm not weathering a hypocrite parade in this lifetime to be unenviable
If this isn't Black enough for you I'm not seeking wages
Get a good look at this real Blackman, decide, then turn the pages

Note: William "Bubbles" Galloway is a Spoken Word Contributor with MNI Alive Media