“To be a citizen”

You are not them nor us,

Nor I nor we —

You are you, wearing only yourself

Like an exhibit for each passerby

To see behind stained glass.

This word called privilege

Is fear in those possessing —

They cannot see it through their

Glass-es, their clear mirrors,

But they steep in it.

With every check-box ticked

Life is lived deeper in margins.

Are you cis? Are you white?

Are you straight? Are you male?

If you answered no to any of the above,

Please explain your disposition:

(How do we define disadvantage

To those who have never felt it?)

In this America, to be a

Citizen is to accept your place

In the margins of society.

Learning to live silently

In the face of institutions

You cannot defeat —

Learn to close your mouth more,

Do not offend them with

The color of the world,

You are too much for them.

We can use our voices but

Only until they hear us,

Then we must be softer.

To be their citizen is this:

To learn complacency,

To speak only when spoken to,

To live with injustice.

Until they understand the

Privilege they cannot see,

We will just be rowdy —

Unnecessary —

Unpatriotic —

We will suffer under the guise

Of acceptance, of tolerance,

In this America

With muted tongues.

But at least

we will always be

Citizens.

Inspired by Claudia Rankine’s Citizen: An American Lyric

Remind yourself you are valid — feedback rocks!