Douglas Polk- Two Poems

A Realist

racist,
I am not blind,
I notice the color of a person's skin,
sexist,
I am not blind,
I notice the difference,
between women and men,
I am homophobic,
I am not blind,
I notice and am uncomfortable,
when two women or men,
hug and kiss,
but in fact,
I am only a realist,
realizing people are not all,
only one kind.



Black like Me

black like me,
raised in middle class luxury,
educated in ivy league schools,
away from the streets,
living among the rich,
and the famous,
away from the ghetto,
sheltered from the high jinks of Andy,
and Amos,
black like me,
life experience does not matter,
skin color is important,
is all that I see,
brothers and sisters,
black like me,
but worlds apart,
the distance between you and me.