Ammuned To Being Appalled Poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

Is there a cultural and racial divide,
That has been as wide,
As any gap witnessed in canyons...
With a depth that is noticed,
When visited to be seen?

'Is that a question you ask of me? '

Yes. I'm just curious.

'Hey,
I haven't visited any canyons yet...
To declare that as a fact.
Or express an interest.
You see...
I've been here and too busy,
Avoiding a listening to people...
Talk about others behind their backs.'

Have you ever wondered about,
Why they do that?

'Not at all.
Where I'm from,
People have been doing that all the time.'

But aren't you offended?

'I am ammuned to being appalled.
Some of the names I've been called,
I thought were on my birth certificate.
You have no idea how traumatic it was for me,
When I discovered that they weren't.
And 'then' to upset some folks...
Who didn't know what my real name was,
Until I demanded they address me as Lawrence.
I still have relatives angry at me over that.'

LOL

'You think I've got jokes,
Huh?
Trust me...
At 66 I am blessed you find this comical.
And I am comedic.'