Profile: A case of mistaken identity
You thought you was American
born and bred, wholesome as
apple pie and America’s
favorite pastime.
You stand for God Bless America
in the seventh inning stretch
cause this is the land of the free
home of the braves
and the giants.
But their fans ain’t no fans of yours
they booed and hissed
as you was paraded in shame
before the eyes of your accusers
arrested on suspicion,
stripped naked and led away.
In God we trust – would kill
to keep prayer in school
but you got caught prayin at the game, sucka.
strange prayers
un-American prayers.
You ain’t no average Joe you know.
like Cosby said
your folk named you Mohammad
and all that crap
you wear a beard
nigguhs wear beards
…and Kenny Rogers
but you ain’t no Kenny Rogers.
who you hidin’ from behind that beard?
You thought you was American
you thought you was home free
but you had three strikes against you
‘fore you even stepped up.
Say you felt like an outsider?
well… you’re out.
the empire said so.
you got the brown and out blues, brother.
any browner and your ass
might a been mistook for black.
I used to get searched at airports too.
I thought it was cause I looked like you.
but it don’t matter really
who look like who
whether you look like me
or I look like you
neither one look like Uncle Sam
(now that’s a real American beard).
I’m talkin American family values, son
– color
and truth be told you look like a brother.
Here you come
hot dog in one hand and a weak grasp
of the big lie in the other.
may take a while but you’ll learn.
Welcome to the club.
however much you love the game
be careful you ain’t caught
with a bat in your hand.
America’s still lookin for WMDs
and if we can’t tell Saddam Hussein
from Osama bin Laden
or prayer from a terrorist attack
what makes you think we’ll know
a giants fan from America’s most wanted.
– Khephra Burns
Copyright © 2019 by Khephra Burns
Khephra Burns is an author, editor, playwright, poet and veteran of television, stage and live events productions. He is a partner and executive with the International ArtsGames Committee (IAC) and senior producer for the ArtsGames. He’s also editor-in-chief of The Boulé Journal of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity.