BLACK MAN

Black man,
Your eyes betray
So many things.

Your eyes tell of times
When you were scorned
And beaten down
To depths from which
Those who scorned you
Hoped there was no return.

They tell of times of disbelief
When others,
Men who should be brothers,
Could be so cruel and so detached
From acts that would cause scars
Lasting beyond lifetimes.

Those eyes
So deep, so telling,
Also tell of other times.
Of times when you were strong
And held the torch above the rest.
When you knew you stood
Shoulder to shoulder
With the gods.

Is that what white man saw
That made him fear you
And stoop to whatever depths it took
In hopes to overwhelm?
That story held within those eyes,
Though no longer spoken,
Nor, perhaps, remembered?

I stood in awe
Of what those eyes revealed.
Yet, you seemed unaware.
I wanted to reach out and shout:
Remember who you are!
The beauty, the power, the glory
Those eyes speak so loudly of!
But we just smiled at one another
And then you walked away.
Yet, the story that was told
Stayed with me and lingers still.

What was reflected in those eyes,
A richness so deep, so inspiring,
Demands the silence of the glance
Be broken and words be spoken.
Words of sorrow at what's been done
And said by others of my color.
Words of thanks that you still stand
And even walk beside us.
Words of recognition of who you are.
And words of hope that you will remember.