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Poetry On Odyssey: Black Enigma

The following poem is about ridicule that some black people have received from others for their behavior or personality.

Nakita Kira Tsunami

Apr 24, 2019

Illinois State University

Lupita Nyong'o

Black

has many implications

Many definitions

It is a shade

It is a color

It is a descriptive word

That also defines a race

It is the word

used to described

changes

in pigmentation

person to person

It is a word

depict an image in one's mind

You say black

I think the night

That pitch blackness

Of a fresh night sky

Full of stars

Enveloped by moon light

You say black

I think about

That hidden spot

In everyone's soul

Holding precious secrets

And unknown sadness

I think

beautiful chocolate skin

That spreads across lands

Islands

Continents

I think of my people

But some of my people

Aren't seeing

What I'm seeing

They're minds

Are caught up

They see me

And don't see my dark skin

They see

White

White hair

White clothes

White talk

White tendencies

They don't see me

Or my blackness

Our blackness

They see my actions

My interests

My thoughts

But not as

Rather

They protest me

Meet me with quarrels

and quarries

of Why do you act white?

Why don't you act black?

hm...

I'm not sure

What they mean

I wake up every morning

And I see black staring back at me

I walk to class and can ONLY

See how different I am

From Everyone

I wish to feel a connection

With the those more like me

Instead I'm estranged from even them

My people

So I'm not Black

By their definition

So there's still a them

And there's a me

So I'll continue

roaming the campus

A Black Enigma

Belonging nowhere

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

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Poetry On Odyssey: Black Enigma

The following poem is about ridicule that some black people have received from others for their behavior or personality.

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I'm technically an adult, so I'm legally required to live a little, right?

1. Watch an R-rated Scary Movie in a Movie Theater

2. Buy a Lottery Ticket

3. Vote in an Election

4. Participate in a Run (or a Walk, Realistically) for Charity

5. Go on a Road Trip

6. Start a Savings Account

7. Get a Credit Card

8. Sign up for Spotify Premium

9. Go to a Club

10. Start a Meditation Routine

11. Go to a Yoga Class

12. Treat Myself to a Dinner for One

13. Volunteer for a Charity

14. Participate in a Research Study

15. Bake Something (That Ends Up Being Edible)

16. Go Skydiving

17. Be Called for Jury Duty

18. Figure Out What I Want to Do With my Life

The holiday classics that shaped my life

1."But what would happen if we all tried to be like Santa and learned to give as only he can give: of ourselves, our talents, our love and our hearts? Maybe we could all learn Santa's beautiful lesson and maybe there would finally be peace on Earth and good will toward men."

"Sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see."

"If you won't use your heart, who cares if it gets broken? If you just keep it to yourself, maybe it'll be like my rollerblades. When you do decide to try it, it won't be any good. You should take a chance. Got nothing to lose."

"Remember, no man is a failure who has friends."

"Life is made up of meetings and partings. That is the way of it."

"If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find a that love actually is all around."

"Sometimes things look good on paper, but lose their luster when you see how it affects real folks. I guess a healthy bottom line doesn't mean much if to get it, you have to hurt the ones you depend on."

"'Maybe Christmas,' he thought, 'doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.'"

"Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to."

"There's room for everyone on the nice list."

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

1. Why are towels considered dirty when you get out of the shower clean?

2. Who closes the bus door once the bus driver gets off?

3. Why is there a "d" in "fridge" but not in "refrigerator"?

4. If you drop soap on the floor is the floor clean or the soap dirty?

5. Is the "S" or the "C" silent in the word "scent"?

6. Does expecting the unexpected make the unexpected the expected?

7. Would Lightning McQueen buy car insurance or life insurance?

8. Who put the alphabet in alphabetical order?

9. What color are mirrors?

10. If 2 mind readers read each other's minds whose mind are they really reading?

11. Is there a synonym for "synonym"?

12. If your shirt isn't tucked into your pants, are your pants tucked into your shirt?

13. Why is it called "quick sand" if you sink slowly in it?

14. If I try to fail, but succeed, which one did I do?

15. If Cinderella's shoe fit perfectly, why did it fall off?

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