He Couldn't Recognize The Mark Poem by Raj Dronamraju

He couldn't recognize the mark of a fraternal world
He couldn't tell a sister from one who spits in his mouth
A threatened voyage, no segregated embarkation for class and race

Intentional vagabond with no fixed address and no papers of identification
Doesn't care if anyone recognizes his happiness
Offers you a better way to let demands bounce off you

He couldn't recognize the smile of inquiry
What could have led to worthwhile confidence, the achievement of fitting in died in too much thought
A girl at the fast food counter and another one who is a friend's friend
Couldn't break through a fatal condition

He couldn't recognize the mark of a secret society
The type whose members rewrite history
Create movements in arts and government
The illusion of creating brand new things out of thin air

So he wouldn't know any better even if the men who could change his life were standing in front of him
He'd still respond with some level of retardation
A carry over from what? An injury while he was in the womb, a blow to the head at a young age, or the bag over the head of the captive?
He was born into captivity so he won't remember anything else