Some see my kindness as complicit
Weak or lacking merit
Because I don’t scream or act mean
When faced with people being petty and obscene
I deserve to be safe and happy
Even though my skin is dark and my hair is sometimes nappy
I don’t need you to love me or like me, or lie about me to spite me
Nor fear me when I stand up.
Or encourage me to forget and give up.
But I do need laws to keep me safe
From all these bigoted, prejudice jerks
Levity helps me survive the day to day strife of life
Because being Black is a difficult state to be
So you see,
I’d rather smile than smirk
I’m not your happy Negro
And I’m not a fucking jerk.