I wrote this poem, Black & White, to express how I feel being an ethnically diverse individual.

Black & White

Half black and half white, so it makes sense that I feel gray

Represented by the clothes that I wear every day

—

Talking about my side that isn’t safe in the streets

I feel like a doughnut, guess who’s looking for a treat

Even at home where I try to relax and eat

I’m asked if I’ll rob, instead of friendly greets

Same thing at school, all the clowns speak in tweets

Slur after slur, they treat me like a freak

Report to the teachers, gave them all of the receipts

Funny how suddenly their vision would deplete

And I’m the one that they tell to take a seat

—

And for the side that most don’t even see

Sometimes that “most” is in the family

I get the look that says “You’re not related to me”

And when I’m outside with mom, it’s the same thing I notice 

The scenario in their head, with me as the focus

“Why is he following that poor woman everywhere?”

“They’re obviously not related, look no further than their hair”

—

So as you can see, it’s a war on both sides

I won’t choose a team, so I’ll just have to hide

I rarely felt like I fit in anyway, so it doesn’t even matter

But until then, it’s time to be an actor

—

Final Thoughts

Since high school, I started feeling the effects of being ethnically diverse. I feel quite uncomfortable when I am the only black person in a group of white folks, due to past experiences where ignorant and racist comments have been made. Even in a group of all black folks, I still become a little uncomfortable because I feel like I lack a lot of cultural knowledge, therefore it’s been difficult to relate to others.

I very much prefer being in a diverse setting; where there are people that come from all sorts of ethnic backgrounds. It puts me much more at ease knowing I am not outnumbered, and there are multiple cultures present.

– Therell

If you would like to hear other poems I’ve written, visit my Music Channel.

And check out this poem submitted by Emorie, it’s a very stellar writing piece.

Its almost the end of National Poetry Month. I just want to share a final poem before the month ends. Of course, many more to come.

The theme of this poem is perseverance. It looks at the idea that each day might come to an end but our individual fight continues.

-Kevin

When faced with the harshest of situations, the decision is up to us. Will we rise to the occasion and prove to be better than anything outside of ourselves or will we continue to let life pass us by? Do not let negative circumstances define your abilities to persevere, or your internal strength. You are as great as you believe and state that you are!

When looking at those we surround ourselves with on a regular basis, who are the top 5 people that we are in contact with the most? After taking a minute to come to this conclusion, take a second or two to reflect on the following question: Are those people you seem to be spending most of your time with enabling you or holding you back?

When I do a self-examination, I would first list off the top 5 people I spend my time with as being my boyfriend, coworkers and family. It has been a long road of recovery and having to alter many relationships, but now I can proudly say that none of the relationships in my top five fall under the category of holding me back. I am now able to identify first and foremost if a situation or relationship is harmful to my growth, and I feel like that is very vital to my transformation as my recovery journey as a whole.

I urge you to take the time to perform a self-evaluation. Are the people closest to you hurting you or helping you grow? Do you need to let some of those people go or perhaps learn to rearrange your circle of contacts?