African Ammunition

As I reflect on the history of our abolition

I ponder the racial juxtaposition

Of you thinking my Blackness is a weapon and me seeing it as ammunition

Not to say it’s dangerous or I’m violent, don’t believe those superstitions

I’m just saying it fuels me and it serves as my ignition

We’ve come too far to be ashamed of our blackness after all your opposition

See I’ve grown up in a world that only loves chocolate when it’s coming in a wrapper or they come and see a rapper

But when you see our ebony skin in the street you always think that we a strapper

Best believe I see when you pull ya purse close and strap her

It’s clear there’s been a miseducation on this COVID situation

This might be the first time you’ve experienced a mass isolation

But my African brothers and sisters have been social distancing for generations

Or did you forget how segregation required the separation of blacks and whites where six feet apart was never a negotiation

But a man was beat to death for such fraternization

And you think listening to Tupac and seeing Get Out pays your reparations

Somewhere along the line you convinced yourself we appreciate your culture appropriation

That we can’t wait for the gentrification

| Taj Kokayi

That because we had one Black president it’s compensation for the foundation of a nation centered in the predation of our cocoa civilization

Whose declaration supports the degradation and the exploitation of our association because of our mahogany saturation

Trust me I did not forget how my people suffered for 400 years

There’s no remorse fairy that can magically make it all disappear

No amount of your history books can wipe away the tears

You may think racism is dead, but I see your deepest fears I can read the thoughts between your ears

You may say you love them but you’re afraid of your dark skin peers

Somehow you think racism is behind us but I’m here to tell you it’s still in its fruition

In case you missed it earlier, there’s a racial juxtaposition

You see us as the gun, our blackness is a weapon

At the same time, we’re the target and we have bullseye colored skin

If you’re worried about traveling overseas let me remind you how the Middle Passage forced our ancestors to set on waters uncharted

The passengers in those ships had as much say as the groceries in a shopping cart did

Seen as nothing more than items to be used till worn out and then discarded

Black people have been forced to wear masks from the start

Covering up our true selves with your Caucasian paintbrushes like we’re some gentrified art

Jim Crowe wasn’t a quarantine, but it had us worlds apart

Corona may poison the air, but racism poisons the heart

Growing, Healing, and the Hope for Brighter Days | Brianna Camp | Art

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