I wear My Blackness like a cape
Like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman
No, she doesn’t always wear a cape.
Her daily life isn’t a special occasion I guess.
I wear My Blackness like a cape
Like Hawkgirl, Thor, Spiderman
Except no he doesn’t wear one
’cause he’s always caught up in a web
Like I am
But he creates his own webs
While I get stuck in someone else’s
With My Blackness flying all around me
I wear My Blackness like a cape
’cause Ric flair is the greatest of all time
But he’s also the Nature Boy and his robe tells you it’s true.
Same as I’m telling you about my life
and this heavy fucking cape around my neck
See, I wear My Blackness like a cape
Because that weight makes me stronger and braver and prouder and bolder
than you could ever understand.
I wear My Blackness like a cape
Because It reminds me that on any
Tuesday night or Friday morning
I might need a cape to protect me from the rest of the human race.
I wear My Blackness like a cape
Because some folks still pretend that they just don’t see
The very first thing they notice about me.
I wear My Blackness like a cape
Because It helps define me for me.
Because It contains multitudes.
And because I love it.
© Gayle Force Press 2020
A poem by Franklin Oliver
The WhoDeannyPod 