u/MidnightWhisperDraft

I laughed today
when you asked me to see your pain
to pity how hard it’s been for you,
unwell and adrift in a system
that refuses to let you be.
"How can it be so hard," you asked,
"for someone like me?"

Porcelain
so delicate, so white.
Today I watched you shatter.
I gathered you in my hands
and gladly let you drop,
leaving jagged, pale shards
scattered across my floor.

To watch you tumble and break
I admit, there was sweetness in it.
To finally be the one looking down
instead of being looked down upon.

Carbonado
dense, abrasive, untamed.
I like this harder skin.
I used to just be Black,
but this game made me dark.
I am no longer your soft landing.
I hope you never feel safe here again.

White sugar
I find you sickly sweet.
Fake smiles, firm handshakes,
a history you deny,
a legacy I pray my kids will never face.

Brown sugar
you can’t get enough of me,
until you have something "wise" to say,
and then it’s: enough of me.

Your golf game is exhausting,
and you came unprepared
for my kind of back and forth
a white man so close to the patriarchy,
yet you showed up with no balls.

So sit there in your pieces,
haphazard and undone,
still preaching of an injustice
you know nothing of.
You are an unfinished puzzle
I am done trying to solve.

First;
Sugary comfort, fresh
Steamy
Layers once appealing
Art upon a latte
That first sip

Then;
Sickly sweet, iced
Vanilla
My hands outstretched
Taken aback; I feel
Cold foam

I was;
Warm, brown, rich
Bitter
Taken without milk
I step back
Dark roast

You were;
Once my barista
Open late
Serviced daily
Small talk
Friendly encounters

Now you’re;
Fragile, white mug
High pressure
Stained inside
Espresso
Left on the counter

Thanks but;
None for me
Abstinence
Caffeine free
Water, no ice
Leave me be

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/GELJ6OCKwn

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/fTVLlxByi1

Interactions like this really spark something up for me as a person with cptsd and obviously racial trauma. I can handle the stupidity but it just always presses on a nerve.

I posted my poem on the subreddit to get feedback on the style, the language, the overall poem - and you used it as an opportunity to tell me about how I should find my people, you’ve dated a black man and people called you a snow bunny. You also had the nerve to explain why racism is an issue from your white understanding: it’s not ignorance but societal conditioning.

You then explained how your Black friends let you touch their hair and you let them touch yours too. But it wasn’t driven by malice and of course not everything is.

Please reread the poem and realize that this shit isn’t about you, but it actually is about you because you’re exactly who I’m writing about.

Love your hair when you wear it straight,
Why are you people always so late?
If things are bad, go get a degree,
Just don’t try competing for work with me.

You speak so well, where are you from?
You’re going back home? I wish I could come!
I went to Africa once to build homes,
What’s wrong with your hair? Do you need a comb?

My skin always burns, but I wish I could tan,
Your man must be big, I could use a Black man!
Relax, I’m kidding, don’t be so uptight,
Jesus, you people, so ready to fight.

Hey girl, my party, you know you’re invited,
I hope you can make it, I’m super excited!
Just try not to be extra loud or too much,
If they like your hair, let them give it a touch!

Sorry he said that, we’ve all just been drinking,
He’s not really racist, he just wasn’t thinking!
You know, my nephew is Black, by the way,
Maybe I’ll get you to meet him someday?

My parents are old school, you know, they mean well,
I’m one-sixteenth Black if you couldn’t quite tell!
Our maid was a Black girl and she was so pretty,
Too bad she was poor, couldn't stay in the city.

Good morning, Black beauty! Work meeting at two!
Relax, girl, I’m trying to compliment you!
Such a good idea, I’m writing that down,
Remember to smile in the office, don’t frown!

Your skirt is quite short, you should go home and change,
Ashley has the same one? Wow, that is strange.
On you, it just looks that much more revealing,
On Ashley it’s classy and sleek and appealing.

Anyway girl, me and you are like sisters,
What’s that thing you say: from another mister?
Haha, you’re the best and this friendship is fun,
Of all my good friends I love having a Black one.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/kAjSV6sAdL

https://www.reddit.com/r/OCPoetry/s/B9lOVGYKdc

edit: An exploration of tokenism and conditional friendship, this piece examines how centuries of systemic racism prevent people from seeing us as fully human, turning those who claim to be friends into another source of harm.