Wings Made of Wax
When you stepped
on the subway car
and those young boys laughed
it must have made you wonder,
“What’s wrong with these fools?”
If you’d been strapped
you might have popped off, huh?
But son, you got green hair
and an earring in your nose, and
a bright ass orange jacket with
something indecipherable written on it
And you’re Black, in case you’ve
forgotten…
So you sat over there sulking and
taking up two seats on a crowded train
drawing everybody’s attention
making old ladies nervous.
Boy, you a sight to see
with that throwback Mohawk
and cartoon lips tattooed on your neck
But it’s a long ride to the end
of the line if that’s where you
hoping to go.
Clever people cleverly figure it out
as they get closer to home…
If you choose to objectify yourself
you make yourself an object of ridicule
You can’t fly too close to the sun
with wings made of wax.