A Declaration…

We hold these truths to be self-evident
That all men are created equal
…except when they’re not
What goes up, must come down
Unless it’s become too big to fail
A rose by any other name
Would smell as sweet
Until you call it kike, chink, spic…
We hold these truths to be self-evident
There is no prerequisite for evidence
The proof is in the pigment

We will happily white-out your transgressions
After all, that’s what a good editor does
Revisionist history
I’m not comfortable with your blackness
Would you mind toning it down?
That may seem a peculiar choice of words
But when you’re out of toner, you see
All you’re left with is a white page
I call it my comfort zone

So, could you make that hair a little straighter?
Those corn-rows remind me of bars on a jail cell
I’m claustrophobic, would you mind giving me my space?
Just enough so I can lock the door or run
Clutch my purse a little tighter
Give me time to alert the authorities

We hold these truths to be self-evident
That all men are created equal
Some are just a little more equal than others
That may sound like an oxymoron
But moron is my middle name
And I snort oxycontin while you hit your crack pipe
But it’s okay
I’ve got a prescription

Forgive my lack of sympathy for your addiction
I prefer a little racism in my penal code
I’ll trump your dope deal with manslaughter
And race you back home
What message can I give to your children?
It’s gonna be awhile
Third strikes aren’t just for pitchers
But what would you know?
Black people stopped playing baseball years ago
That’s why there’s no salary cap
If you wish to relocate to my tax bracket
I’m afraid you’ll have to bleach your bloodlines
And what’s with this term “white privilege?”
That implies that it’s optional

Forgive me if I’m getting a little aggravated
by this line of questioning
The masses worship at the doors of my vault
Who are you to question a God?
That’s why we put in God we trust on our money
It’s actually one in the same
E pluribus unum
Out of many, one
…percent dictate your livelihood
There’s more than enough to go around
But the thing about circles…
You always end up right back where you started
You think I’m robbing Peter to pay Paul
But Paul goes by Chin-Lee now
We wrote off Peter’s share as a charitable contribution

We hold these truths to be self-evident
That all men are created equal
Except when they’re not

Copyright © 2013 Christopher Shawn Barker