Thursday, March 18, 2010

A Skinhead Called Me A Racist


Racist?

Meaningless.

Not "devoid of meaning,"

Rather, "too many meanings."

Precisely, three.


Racist the first:

Filled with disgust, distrust, certain of

Them as less-than, other, filthy.

Relishing the poison of the past,

Spewing unabashedly the putrid.


Racist the second:

Dancing with trepidation and guilt

Unexpressed, polite, concerned.

Eschew, renounce, withhold, deny, but

Avert the eyes, lock the doors.


Racist the third:

Embracing the term, knowing

The sunflower in cyanide soil strives clean green, but

carries the poison inside.

Acknowledgement, attentiveness, humility.


Racist is as racist does.

The fuming skinhead couldn't miss!

In the soil, the air, the water, the breast milk

The taint's in both of us... ALL of us.

That's me, Racist, rounding third.