In a Racist State of Mind

In a Racist State of Mind

I look at the world and shudder.
Who are all these angry people
Claiming the same rights as I have?
Who are they to live where I live?
Who are they to work where I work?
Why are they shopping where I shop?

Even if they speak my language,
Even if they embrace my faith,
Even if they share my culture,
There's still the skin and eyes and hair,
There's still the faces and features,
Making them, marking them diff'rent.

If we let them mingle with us
How do we know who we should hate?



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Ignore this at your leisure. In my Suck Free Poetry books I have begun to include a Motivation and Focus section that explains the ideas behind the poetry included.  This serves that purpose and for those people looking to offer insight and critique, perhaps this may be of aid.

Racism is one of the things for which I will never understand the motivation.  I've heard the arguments and they all sound moronic at best. But a recent incident where I slogged through a racist tirade inspired me to offer a translation of that tirade.

As with all of my translations, it is meant to represent the original position in a Braburian manner.  For those not familiar with the works of Ray Bradbury, do yourself a favour and go to your library and read everything he wrote.  Even his off days are better than most other's best days.

I started this piece about a week ago and set it aside as I could not find the right voice or format.  I knew what I wanted to say but just stumbled around writing one crap couplet after another.  today I settled on a sonnet format in tetrameter blank verse.  I probably could have gone for pentameter but i wanted a less formal feel and the shorter lines gave that to me.

Line 12.  I know 'different' is a 3 syllable word but I also know in most speech I hear a syllable is dropped from it so even though I do not like the look caused by the format choice, the repetition I am trying to establish and the voice I am trying to portray needs that line and that rendering of the word.  Perhaps someone else will have a better idea.

As always, your thoughts and harsh critiques are welcome.