DNA
This fair light skin
Doesn’t seem so fair in this country
27% England, Wales & European
These lips… One small and one big
My nose… Round
19% Nigerian
My love for people, pasta, and pizza
These hairy hands
18% Italian
Red hairs in my beard tell a story
Words I wasn’t sure I was ready for
12% Irish
These teeth
A smile that leads a mark
13% Benin & Togo
A survivor
My soul, spirit, and black body fights
11% Cameroon, Congo & Southern Bantu
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DNA
Our ancestors speak
Blood running through these veins
Their legacy remains
What do I make of the gifts that have been granted to me?
Will I be another black man lost to the streets?
Or a privileged white man still not able to see?
The stories my dreams tell
It’s like I’ve been here before
Moments when the time stops
The wind blows
What is about to happen next,
I already know
From soul to soul
These eyes look into their white lies
They cannot strip it away this time
Destiny arrives upon the shore
Freedom to bondage no more
Bleed with me
See what I see
A legacy
Deep within my DNA
Josh Samarco 