By John W. Fountain
So if I tell you my
truth
And it tickles your
ears
Relieves you of any guilt
Makes your consciences
feel clear
Fills you with
self-righteous indignation
Makes you point the
finger
(Not over there)
But over here
Compels you to cheer:
“Preach, Brother
Fountain…
Tell YOUR people the
truth
They don't need Jesse
or Al
They need to listen
to YOU…”
But then,
I flip the coin
And speak my whole
mind
Say what it’s like to
live in my black skin
Then you claim I’ve
lost my mind
YOU say you no longer
“respect” me
Tell me to ‘take a
hike’
Write to me with
condescending paternalistic insults
Try and tell me what
I should write
Call me “conceited”
A pompous "N" word, riding
arrogantly on my “high horse”
Say I must not be who
you thought I was…
Not a “good Negro”
who knows his place,
But, of course
I shake my head
Chuckle at how racism
makes some blind
How after centuries
and centuries
The most dangerous
black man is still an educated one
Who articulately
speaks his mind…
How Truth is still a
mighty double-edged sword
To be rejected by
ignorance
When Truth offends
the status quo
And dissonant chords
sound absurd
And yet, I play on
I beat my drum
Whether YOU hear me or
not
Spitting facts to
fight the fiction
About the history
that has brought
My people to our
current condition
The hard truths that
can help us transition
To a position
Of equality
Rather than brutality
Even amid the reality
That YOU can’t handle
the truth
For to look Truth squarely
in the eyes
You’d have no
recourse but to realize
YOU had a hand in our
demise
For in Truth
There is no room for
lies
Even if a part of the
truth tickles your ears
Only makes your
consciences feel clear
Makes you only point
the finger over here
But to the whole
truth
You turn a deaf ear
So I’ll play on
And frankly my dear
I don't give a damn
if YOU hear