My Brother Is Black
Runner-up-The Booksie 2018 Poetry Contest
Poem by: A. Natalya Martin
Reads: 6501 | Likes: 84 | Shelves: 10 | Comments: 16
My brother is black.
He likes dinosaurs,
And video games.
He taught me what a pangolin was.
My brother is black.
He is smart.
His teachers love him.
He talks to me about books.
My brother is black.
My mom cut his hair
Because she was afraid.
People say things about black boys
With long dreads.
My brother is black.
My mom taught him the proper way
To interact with the police.
Hands up.
Don’t run.
Never
Ever
Run.
My brother is black.
If something happens,
They’ll say they were afraid.
Afraid of my brother,
Who’s favorite activity is fishing.
He’s never killed a fish.
Afraid of my brother,
Who hugs his mom
In front of his friends.
Afraid of my brother,
Who thinks that only married couples
Can have children.
Afraid of my brother,
Who rewinds the funny parts of the movie.
Afraid of my brother,
Who sings show tunes
At the top of his lungs.
All because
My brother is black.
Submitted: October 01, 2018
© Copyright 2023 A. Natalya Martin. All rights reserved.
Comments
This is a powerful piece. It resonated with my mother, a Black woman with a Black son, so thank you. Congratulations on making it to the contest finals!
Sun, November 18th, 2018 9:51pm
Sure a poem about the times we live in. Bravo!!! Congrats on the Finals.
Sun, November 18th, 2018 11:33pm
Congratulations on making it to the finals :-)
Fri, November 23rd, 2018 11:43pm
Congrats on your win! So excited for you. This is a great poem!
Mon, November 26th, 2018 2:41am
A superb poem. A poignant reflection of the times in which we live. Congratulations and very well done!
Wed, November 28th, 2018 8:09pm
Hmmmm.smh and snapping my fingers. Thank you
Wed, November 28th, 2018 10:18pm
It's heartwarming.
Fri, December 7th, 2018 12:10pm
Powerful. Thanks.
Sat, December 22nd, 2018 5:08pm
Love this one, it made me feel like I was being scolded for doing bad to other people. Truly powerful. Congrats!
Tue, February 26th, 2019 1:45pm
I really liked it
Thu, August 15th, 2019 1:03am
Hi Natalya, I am impressed with your poem. It's powerful, revealing, and brave. I hope that some day your poem can be considered to be fiction.
Penny Scribe
Of the three poems, this is by the far the most moving, the one that speaks to me in the sharpest clearest way. Proof that we can and should look beyond the color of one's skin. This verse could just as easily say, "my brother is gay."
Tue, August 25th, 2020 10:36pm
So sad and true. How can we have come so far and yet still be so far behind. It is time for real change. 2021 Will be the YEAR! Your poem is powerful!
Sun, October 18th, 2020 8:26pmFacebook Comments
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Joy Shaw
What a telling poem, perfect for the times we live in. I love that you wrote this. We need this.
Sun, November 18th, 2018 8:42pm