A Palette of Sounds
A poem asking you to think in Quad HD
Cop Killer
taught me that skin color
makes you guilty in the eyes of some,
and of a one-sided
Body Count.
P.E. said
Fight the Power and
I listened, because the white line
of heroes on stamps is
one-sided.
Speech and friends
inspired me to look
beyond appearances, learn lessons
from those without shoes, That’s
a big deal.
Went crazy
with Prince and enjoyed our
beautiful world with Louis. I tried
to start with the man in
the mirror.
I’ll slow down,
I might have moved too fast.
I want to make this poem last, just
a few more words to say,
in my way.
Zwarte Piet
has been showed the door, his
bullying presence no longer an
asset to our nation’s
yearly fest.
Sure, I played
that game, now to my shame,
even while my brown skin was for some
a reason to treat me
with disdain.
I listened,
to the world around me,
to the music entertaining me.
I learned the evil of
racism.
The pallette
that painted my life with
sounds, is not black-and white. A multi
coloured festival in
Quad HD.
Listening has shaped my life. Listening to others, to stories, to music. Mostly it was not just the literal message, but the story behind it. That listening also made me aware that all voices matter. Everybody has a story to tell you, and in that story, you will find a lesson. Big or small. Realizing that, will also make you realize that it’s ridiculous to let the tone of someone’s skin determine the value of their story. It’s just stupid. And by listening, you will also realize how painful it is that in many western cultures, the racism, the value determination based on skin tone, is so deeply ingrained that we hardly recognize it. Until we listen. And hear.
This poem consists of nine tritriplicatas. Read here more about that form:
I find a lot of inspiration for life, and also a lot of consolation, in music. Of all sorts. I made you a playlist to accompany this poem. I hope you’ll enjoy it below.
