A Thousand Miles of Space

Inequality is not being shy,
It is staring at us straight in the eyes.
And yet, we pretend and deny,
Shielding ourselves from the obvious lie.

That you and I were born with a head start,
We didn’t have to do much to get on the chart.
All kinds of food filled the grocery shopping cart,
Having our basic needs met really set us apart.

I have time to ponder and choose,
A myriad of options, I can even hit snooze,
Because if today I decide to just read and peruse,
I know tomorrow I can find some way of making cash flow ensue.

I’ve been in circles where we speak of white fragility,
Of racial justice, of oppression, of a lack of empathy.
I’ve heard white people defend themselves, not a pause of humility,
As they recount their experienced oppression, their pains of hard earned liberty.

But what we continue to fail and see,
Is that this is not a discussion of you versus me.
If we line up to run in a race,
And between you and me there are a thousand miles of space.

Then something isn’t adding up,
This isn’t just a game of luck.
If I have health care and you don’t,
If I have fresh produce and you don’t,
If I can find a job with my pretty, white girl smile,
And you can’t compete because of your ancestral trials,
Then there really isn’t a question left,
That the first line of the declaration of independence has lead to theft,
Of equality that was supposed to be granted for every, single man,
Of dignity that is acknowledged right here where you stand.

We are truly living a lie,
A lie that is staring us straight in the eyes,
We’ve got to dig deeper and keep asking why,
We’ve got to demand progress and stand as allies. 

Love,
Gavrila Nikhila