Southwestern College Santa Fe, NM
Spade
By Zaya Kuroda-Grauer (student and staff at SWC)
Black. White. Japanese.
Being me comes with guarantees:
Like fighting 5 times harder to be heard
and 10 times harder to be seen
2 steps forward, 10 steps back
I always seem to be under attack
Big brown eyes and darker skin
No one cares about the person within
Clutch that purse and cross the street
I can almost hear your heartbeat
You dress okay
Your English is good
But correct me if I’m wrong,
aren’t you from the hood?
Discrimination. Microaggressions. Bigotry
The white mans attacks never cease to hurt me.
Two gay moms and no father
The ground I stand on couldn’t get any hotter
Except I am a human being
So I have thoughts and ideas
Like how I deserve equal treatment
However, the white folks seem to be in disagreement
Hate comes in many forms
Black bodies hung from trees
American Nazis knocking at your door
I’ll always be 3/5 a man
Hiding, running from the Klan
2 steps forward, 10 steps back
Don’t you realize?
It isn’t easy being black
Only a fool would think I am free
The 1900s continue in 2023
2 steps forward, 100 steps back.
24/7 persecution from society
makes a person’s mental want to crack
License and registration
Hands on the wheel
To a black person these words signal that death is certainly near
No steps forward, we are only taking steps back
We are a nation that talks but fails to act
No change, liberation, or progression is made
This country continues to burn when we say their names
It could be me
It could be you too
It’s either suicide or to see this horrifying life through
The American Dream seems to fade
But I have to remember
It was never meant for me
Because I am a spade.
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