As We Fall Poem by palesa deejay manaleng

How I wish to vomit my blackness.
To bleach this colour that says shot me as I walk down the street.
That screams imprison me for being hungry.
To peel away this mark that makes you think I am unworthy to be human.

How I scream deep inside as you tell me my worth,
Silence me with threats of taking away my way of life.
I cut to see the blood flowing,
To make sure I do exist as you try to extinguish my existence.

I grieve every time I take a breath as you put to a grave another.
Dangerous you said.
Armed you claimed.
It rains red droplets across the world,
The rivers overflow and tainted.

I refuse to vomit who I am!
I darken my skin and draw strength from within!
I breathe in sharply as another dies and wonder when my time will come.