The Face Poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

Exposed is the face.
Of ongoing historic conflicts.
All to do with race.
And one's color of skin.

Racism.
And the array of various ways,
This today and days long gone.
Is neither unique.
Nor a novelty disbelieved.
For the ones who experience,
The covering of their colored...
Skins.
Judged to have this,
From birth to begin.
Without the ignorance of it,
To have no end.
And picked...
Consciously to know,
The difference between...
Acceptance and rejection.

There are human beings.
To have been born,
Into royalty.
Be they,
Black, white, yellow or brown.
Around the World found,
Who perceive to believe...
Themselves to be,
Better than others.
Because of wealth and status,
To have acquired.
Through theft and deception.
Received.
And sit on golden thrones.
With crowns adorned,
Upon their heads.
Symbolizing the image,
Of treasures given value...
To hoard for themselves,
Instead of this to share.

Resources stolen.
Diamonds.
Gold.
And elephants slaughtered,
For their tusks of ivory sold.
From ancient lands.
Where those of colored skins,
Were made to live...
As worthless peasants.
Although beneath their feet,
Thieves retrieved...
A feast to feed exclusively!

In some places,
These racist faces...
Remain the same.
To claim racism,
For them does not exist.
And free they do to live,
Isolated.
From a reality to choose.
To remain deluded.
With 'their' truth kept to keep,
Fictioned!
And marketed...
To those quick to seek,
A selling of their souls.
Hoping this addresses,
Pretensions and impressions...
On a daily basis made!

'I am offended.
Shocked and appalled! '

'Why? '

'I have been called a racist.
And...
I live in a gated community.
Where no one has ever,
Accused me of that before.
My gardener, butler and maid,
Will never say that about me.
I treat them all,
As if family.
To allow them to come,
Inside my home on occasions!
This nonsense talk,
About racism.
Is nothing more,
Than rumors.
Spread by those leftist liberals.
Who have lost,
Their conservative minds.'

'Diversity does that.'

'Diversity?
What is that?
More and more,
I am hearing that word.'