It must be wonderful
It must be so wonderful for you to – every morning – wake up white.
Wonderful to know the struggle of a black man will never be your plight.
You'll never struggle with racial injustice or fight to be treated well.
Just take a look around you. I'm sure you can already tell.
You'll never be the butt of jokes or give the elderly a fright.
Never be followed around in a store because your skin tone isn't right.
Did I at least get that one right?
See, you won't struggle the same struggle for the simple fact that you are white
So knowing this, it’s much easier for you to sleep better at night.
It must be comfortable up there, looking down on others from such a great height.
You won't have those awkward stares at work when racist jokes are made.
You won’t get told you're over-reacting or that your "racial card" is 'played'.
You won't leave silence in your wake when you step onto a bus.
People shifting in their seats and thinking, "You don't look like one of us" - NO –
"You can walk like us and talk like us, but you will never be like us".
You won't get shot because of colour.
You won’t get looked at as "other".
No, you will never have to wonder.
Your skin will never be a “bother”.
You likely won’t be the recipient of hate.
What you do won’t be up for debate.
You can cry your tears and be believed because that’s just your fate.
You will never have to twice as hard when society pushes back.
You won’t have to fight against stereotypes telling you all thieves, rapists, murderers, and gang members are black.
You know none of this is true.
You know none of this is "fact".
Yet people feed into the lies.
So many have been taught that bad equates to black.
So, again I say
It must be wonderful to – every morning – wake up white.
Not to lie awake pondering what new battles you might have to fight.
Must be wonderful to know that no one wants your "kind" omitted.
But see, I was born black and that's the worst crime I committed. - Chika Anene
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