Skin Like a Cloak
“The truth is,” said the professor,
“we wear our skin, each one of us,
like a cloak. Some feel fervently
that the color of the cover matters
greatly; others see only history.
“The residue of the bad old days,
‘black’ and ‘white.’ Vessels swept
into the harbor, offloading human
cargo. For these battered souls,
no breeze could refresh their sad
brokenness. Scores of years later,
for the Confederate flagged and
South Will Rise Againers, these stories
are muted, revised, considered
best stored in a trunk, hidden away.
“But we,” she continued, “can get to
the heart of injustice by unlocking
that attic door, dusting off the trunk,
prying loose its locks, and delving into
its heart of shame, of inhuman cruelty.
“Whites start by remembering.”
“By humbling ourselves to the truth.”
“By understanding the depths to which
‘entitled’ Anglos can sink when led by
minds filled with ignorance, greed, and
cruelty.”
“Only by recognizing the signs of such
wretchedness taking root in the American
mainstream and fighting it… only then
can we ensure it won’t happen again.”
© Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
Written for dverse Poets’ Pub and posted to my poetic touchstone, Poets United.
Sharp Little Pencil 
expatinCAT
I have a bit of a soft spot for poetry about political or social topics…’unlocking that attic door’ – I second that. / Peter.
Sharp Little Pencil
Hope you’ll come back, Peter, because politics of all kinds “R” us! Do you blog? Peace, Amy
brian miller
wow strong piece…with a heavy dose of truth…what a dark history we have and acknowledging that and humbling ourselves is the first step…great piece…
Sharp Little Pencil
Brian, I thank you for this. It’s true… when I listen to the news and hear “a man was hit by a car” and then “a black man was seen…” it always strikes me that, in this day and age, whites are not indentified; rather, we are taken as “the norm.” Rotten history, and if we don’t dust it off and really delve into it… we get the Tea Party! Thanks so much, Amy
Debbie
Thank you, Amy . . .meaningful work, as always! 🙂
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks so much, Debbie. Glad you connected with this one.
liv2write2day
Smart reminder of a tragic era in our history. You know how to get to the heart of issues, Amy
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks, Victoria. Too bad so much of that racism is alive and well today. From our president to the guy walking past on the street, some folks cannot deal.
In the end, we are all shades of brown. It all depends on how far our people strayed from The Cradle, the Tigris and Euphrates. Peace, Amy
vivinfrance
Here here! Well said.
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks, Viv. I was rather happy with how that came out! Amy
claudia
wow..what a creative take on racism and social injustice..you left me utterly speechless with the last stanza..
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks so much, Claudia… unfortunately, I’m preaching to the choir. There is so much racism and hatred in America… no one wants to remember the shame… Amy
rob kistner
Hi Amy — wow, this is a piercing, poignant, powerful piece… I hope it is not too late to rescue this country from the strangle of the self-perceived “entitled”…
Sharp Little Pencil
Hey, I’m just another 99%er. Unless we all find a common denominator and stop letting the corporate media split us into camps (Anglo/Brown, Choice/Pro-Life, Pro-Immigrant/Mexicans go home, Straight/Gay), we will all lose to the Koch Brothers. When did Americans stop remembering brother- and sisterhood? The robber barons are breathing down our necks, and we’re consumed with Anthony Weiner’s sexting! Thanks, Rob, Amy
kaykuala
Amy,
The learned Prof is right. In fact color is only skin deep.I heard and read of stories of injustice, the KKK and such like. Whatever you say, the fact that there is a President Obama is very strong testament that good old Uncle Sam is way ahead of individual bigotry. I’m glad that the President became the President. The road to reelection though is mired not of his own undoing but inherited directly from belligerent policies and an unfortunate misfortune of the EEC economies. We wish the President every best wishes. Thanks for sharing! Excellent verse!
Hank
Sharp Little Pencil
Hank, Race in America is so complicated, it’s ridiculous. Much like the old South Africa, if one has ANY African ancestry, one has to choose between “white” and “black” on forms. There is no place for “biracial.” And much like India and other countries, there is an informal “caste” system, not born of one’s family, but of one’s social status. Add to that many racist Americans who were clamoring for the president’s birth certificate, then insisting it was forged (honestly) and he was really not American (in other words, not “their kind of American” – white and male) and you have the grand, confused, maddening mess that is American politics. I supported Pres. Obama from Day One and had girlfriends mad at me for not supporting Hillary Clinton, simply because she was a woman! People are people are people – and we are all from the Tigris-Euphrates region. It just depends how many generations ago our ancestors strayed and lost our melatonin!! It’s all shades of brown to me…
As for President Obama, I admire the man and many of his principles, but he escalated the war in Afghanistan after promising to bring the troops home. Many broken promises. I know he inherited a mess from George W. Bush (who took the crown from Richard Nixon as “Worst Pres. of All Time”), and that fiscal loopholes were opened up during the Bush administration, but perhaps he promised more than he could deliver, and that was unwise. Fortunately, the people from the Republican party are the usual rich white guys (we’re sick of them assuming they should lead), one candidate of color who is a mess in his personal life, and one or two women who are absolutely silly and not to be taken seriously. A shame we don’t have a more robust field. So maybe the President will have one more term in which to attempt to fulfill those promises after all! Thanks so much, Hank. Love and peace, Amy
Sherry Blue Sky
Powerfully said, Ms Amy. Love the title.
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks, Sherry. Now that I think of it, I might have have Michael Franti and Spearhead in the back of my mind… he has a song called :Skin of a Drum…
Kim Nelson
Such wisdom in this piece, which is beautifully parsed.
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks so much, Kim. I appreciate the comment regarding flow! Amy
Buddah Moskowitz
Takes courage to write this – well done Ameleh. I’ve met lots of Whites who want to absolve themselves by saying it was ancient history and pleading ignorance. It’s not about pointing fingers – it’s about knowing!
Sharp Little Pencil
You are so right, bruddah mine… funny how white people consider themselves “white” instead of “Anglo” or “European-American.” How many generations of family born in America does it take before people stop looking at the shade of your skin and start looking you in the eye?! Never understood this… but then, I was raised around everybody! Love you, Ameleh
coalblack
that’s a wise professor.
Sharp Little Pencil
Professor was lurking in my own mind, but I thought it made sense as a character. Thanks, Shay! Glad to see you again. Peace, Amy
wolfsrosebud
“For these battered souls,
no breeze could refresh their sad
brokenness.”
how sad and said to see clearly… will it ever stop… glad you made dVerse this week
Sharp Little Pencil
So am I Patricia, since I usually space out the days! I was happy with the alliteration you cited – glad it worked for you, too! Amy
Daydreamertoo
Yes, indeed. Sometimes we need to close our eyes in order to really ‘see’ the truth of our reality. White America has created a world of riches and fantasy that everyone once wanted to aspire to reach, The American Dream, well, the bubble has burst and America is fast becoming a divided nation. The have and the have nots and law & order soon breaks down when the ‘little’ people rise up and make themselves heard.
Your piece is raw and honest.
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks for this assessment. You’re right. The American Dream went out the window on two fronts: First, the unprovoked war, firing first on Iraq over a lie; second, the cancellation of regulations on banks and mortgages. See “Margin Call.” It’s the Lehman Brothers debacle, thinly disguised, and it shows how little the One Percenters think of us worker drones… who have no more work, because they sent it all overseas.
Raw and honest? Two of the nicest compliments I have ever received. Thanks, and peace, Amy
1sojournal
Had to be a History prof, they are so adament that finding a different perspective with change any present course. I’m a History major, your words are very familiar and I agree with all of them. Wisdom cannot be repeated often enough,
Elizabeth
http://soulsmusic.wordpress.com/
Sharp Little Pencil
Elizabeth, I made up the professor – seemed to be the right setting. I never attended college, but I’m a lifelong learner and observer of people’s interactions. The whole idea of remembering history, lest we be doomed to repeat it, looms large – and I have two sisters in the Tea Party, even though we were raised in a civil rights household where Mother Jones was considered a saint and Union Yes! was our motto. Crazy world. Thanks, Elizabeth. Amy
Mary
So many lessons here, Amy. Well thought out words.
Sharp Little Pencil
Thank you, Mary. I’ve been wanting to write on this theme for quite awhile. Peace, Amy
Renee
There will always be a battle against injustice in our world and we are so fortunate to have you as one of its’ champions. Well written.
Sharp Little Pencil
Renee, I am blushing. Thanks for the encouragement!! Peace, Amy
Yousei Hime
Amy, Thanks for the visit and comment. I’m so glad I stopped by because I’ve been looking for new poetic inspiration. I hadn’t run across dVerse, but it looks like just the place. Expect to see me here and there. Hope you don’t get tired of the rabbit.
Sharp Little Pencil
How could I possibly tire of such a sweet rabbit? So glad you stopped by, Yousei. Think I’ll bop over and see what you’re up to! Peace, Amy
Mike Patrick
I would like to think things are getting better on the racism front. There will always be some because there always seems to be another generation on knuckleheads dreaming of the glory of the old south, but they are a tiny minority. While there are various degrees of slavery still present in the U.S., from migrant workers working at slave wages to prostitutes kidnapped and imported from other countries, I believe it is on the ebb too. In some of the Arab and African countries it is still relatively open and rampant, so it will never be eradicated. It’s sad, but it will go on forever.
Sharp Little Pencil
Racism, I believe, is alive and well – just discussed only in certain circles. The white elite have a deathgrip on power in this country; women face some of that oppression, too.
Another form of slavery is the most insidious: Prison labor. When you call in a catalog order, you’re often talking to an inmate, and they get paid pennies on the dollar. Another way the multinational corporations help “satisfy the shareholders.” The sex trade (especially children) too… I am afraid I don’t share your optimism, only because the media are tired of covering it, so it “goes away” as a reported issue. But since Biblical times, slavery of some sort and oppression of many kinds by the elite classes has always existed… it’s very sad, I agree. Thanks, Mike. Amy