The Undeniable Poem by Romella Kitchens

One day I became tired of racism.
So I made believe it simply didn't exist.
Everywhere I went as a black woman I tried
to pretend there was no prejudice at all.

They watched me for theft in the pharmacy.
I didn't care.

They made me wait in the restaurant while seating every known
global other...
I didn't care.

They took another customer first who was behind me and white.
I didn't care.

A woman told me Blacks weren't intelligent enough to learn to knit as I sat in the laundromat knitting --
it started to really get to me but I made believe
I didn't care.

When I got home I broke glasses, plates, a cupboard.
I literally think I broke off a big chip of the world and tipped it even more on its axis.
I wanted racism to disappear but many other people had been making firm use of it
because:
They didn't care.