Because I Am Black Poem by ANTHONY ANIGBATA

Because I am black
Does not mean I am spontaneous
Untrustworthy and lazy
The leopards and zebra all have spots
But should not be judged by their spots

Because I am black
They bath me with laughter
Calling my eerie names for being me
Forgetting I am one like them
An image of the maker himself

The city gate opens half
To see if I'm genuine before I enter
The injustice on me seen as clean justice
My every step doubted
My rights discarded
My rich and unique cultures disregarded

The prison is where I sleep
The slum my shelter if I am freed
To all my doing they give a tag
Forgetting there are blacks
Who are good

We are all the same, whether black or white
Don't hate me because I'm black
Because I'm from the interior part of Africa
Or because of my ancestral link to them;
And don't love him, because he's white
Because my skin glitters
Like the colour of the maiden moon
But judge me, if my actions prove
That I have a wicked heart
Love me because I'm human
And blood flows, through my swollen vein.
The falconer and eagle are one
All birds that fly high in the sky
Judge me not by my complexion
I did not make myself one
There is a purpose for this existence
Which is the handwork of the maker
Look beyond the skin
That boils your heart, when you behold me
And see the monster we would hatch
If we continue with this hatred.
White or pale is the colour for mankind
Black or brown is the colour for mankind
Our appearances may be different
But we are all the same, whether black or white

The farmers' son has left his own path
And have embraced theirs
He has forgotten Sango for the crucified Lamb
I eat their own food
And speak their own tongue
But I am black, so I am not wanted

I have played my own part
I have contributed to the world
I have fought a great fight for my right
But because I am black
They still don't want to know
That I am good

*a verse in an attempt to stop racism and hatred in the world.