Born To Do Poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

All my life I've been told,
What I could and could not do.
As if these messages were directly delivered.
Just to test that maverick in me.
To see if I committed myself,
To the speaking of falsities.

I was born to do what I've been doing.
Although I have been interviewed,
To qualify myself to chase someone else's dollar.
And to have my multi-faceted cultural identity used.
You know,
As window dressing!

All my life I've been told,
What I could and could not do.
As if these messages were directly delivered.
Just to test that maverick in me.
To see if I committed myself,
To the speaking of falsities.

And I have never been one,
To fake the scope of my realities...
For the purpose to charade.
Or hide them behind drapes.