Sister Outsider
how many times
have my hazel eyes
bought me the
luxury of blindness?
how many times
has the skin I walk in
this ivory cocoon
insulated me
from your reality?
how many times
have I naively
claimed that we
are all the same
underneath our pigment
as if my bones
had carried
the weight of your
ancestors’ chains
as if my blood
knew the acid burn
of your rage
pumping through
your body
as you have been
undermined
underestimated
exploited
pushed aside
excluded from a seat
at the table?
how many times have
I made it your job
not mine
to teach me the truth
about your life?
how many times
have I been silent
when I should speak?
how many times
did I patronizingly
assume that I knew what you wanted
what you needed
without listening to your voice?
Sister Outsider
how many times
have I failed you?
how many times
will I fall short
and I fail you still?

© 2019 Christine Elizabeth Ray – All Rights Reserved