I knew a black man once.
He stood laughing
darker than night,
invisible in the absence of light,
seeing only the comic in our gross misperceptions.
"What a collection of brown fools," said he
at his recognition of our folly
in the foolhardy race to find superiority in tone.
I knew a white man once.
He mourned his lack of hue
shining brightly,
revealing every blemish,
not discerning the differences in shades of brown.
He knew only envy for the color of those
who had any at all to be called by.
The only colors he saw were with and without.
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