White Guilt

So you scream that you're proud
of your pale skin 
and there's no reason that you 
shouldn't be. 

But remember that you were allowed
to be proud from 
the moment you saw the light 
of the afternoon sun, 

your spine is stacked straight
because centuries of people 
told you that you were superior, 
whether or not you believed them. 

And you did not ask for this, 
I see your slouch when we 
talk of what your ancestors have done, 
guilt like bricks on your back, 
for something you did not do, 
you had no choice in, 

and you may complain 
of anscestors' guilt, 
but at least you do not feel
an ancestor's pain.

Our backs were broken
until crooked and our eyes
forced to the ground, 
the moment your people saw us 
in the afternoon sun.

Our spines are stacked crooked
because people tell us we are not good enough, 
we are dirty, 
we are undeserving, 
whether or not we believed them. 

And we did not ask for this, 
but I can still feel my slouch 
when probing eyes run over 
my appearance, knowing someone
does not quite belong, 
their gaze like bricks on my back, 
for something that I did not do, 
that I had no choice in.

So I know that it is not your fault,
you did not ask for your heritage, 
you did not ask for your skin, 
but sometimes we look at you and see 
the pain in our own eyes and 
we can't stand it anymore, because, 

sometimes your people look at us 
and they see only what they want to, 
and we feel pain but we can't do anything about it
because you set up the system, 

so don't apologize for something you did not do, 
and we'll try not to make you feel bad for something 
you did not do 

but it's a vicious cycle, 
this world we live in, 
and things that we mean 
aren't always the things that we say, 

so mistakes might be made, 
but as long as we both try, 
we might be able to make the broken system
whole again.