A Simple Exchange

Whenever I would chance to meet
Another blackface
More often than not
Our eyes would smile at one another
And, we would exchange
A simple acknowledgement
of the other person existence

A nod
A shared understanding
A greeting
Sometimes, a knowing wink
sometimes a raised eyebrow- sufficed

Because in that
simple acceptance
the message was communicated
“I know you….stranger
I understand what has been happening in your life”

We share the same type of encounters
We both know of the treatment that has come to us
we are both aware of
what the other has endured, during their day

We have both been met
with similar practices and behaviours
by colleagues as well as strangers
Both received sceptical glances
when introduced to people who don’t know us

We are used to ‘that look’
from a person who obviously does not trust us
because they harbour an ignorant prejudice
before they get to know us, as individuals