Beware!
America is reaping again
Tuck in your shirt, raise up your chin
Cut the Ebonics, fold your lips in.
If you would like
To see your family again.
I advise you err on the side of bland
Be emotion-less and docile; and don’t you DARE get a tan
Copy their language; be a Kanye stan.
And don’t think about what that means.
When talking to whites,
Be sure to smile just right!
So big and bright, that you blind them with delight!
Let them carry on,
Living blissfully trite.
Don’t let them know
You’ve been teargassed for your rights.
And when they finally say,
Those 3 words.
(Because if they didn’t,
Their image would unfurl)
Resist the urge to say that thing
(Your epiphany is too late for Ahmaud Arbery).
When they post
That single black square.
Dilute the hashtag.
And then go back to their layers
You pat them on their back.
And get into bed.
Because beware—
America WILL reap us once again.
Naomi Samuel 