May 30, 2020 Riot

Franklin once described his classmate to me, and said, "the boy with brown skin".

And his remarks on this brown boy were as sweet as candy,

As beautiful as the breeze.

And I basked in the warm sunshine

Of his pure soul,

Speaking of a brown body,

Like it is, like pure gold.

And I was reminded in that moment. how wonderful this world could be,

If we could all believe brown was beautiful.

Another glorious shade of our collective being, another part of you, of me.

And we would all march together,

Seeking those parts of us that didn't see this truth, And hand in hand, set fire to burn those parts,

Down to the ground those parts, And together rebuild and be reborn,

Beautiful like you, beautiful like him, beautiful like me.

For the hatred in you reflects the pain in me, And I pray that this world continues towards compassion for itself, A loving new order, birthed by rage, a riot to witness, a riot it shall be.