Black and blue
Yet beneath that thin veneer of flesh runs streams of red
Red...just as human as you
Born with colour of a different shade
Always believing my colour to be my biggest shame
Dark skinned, my very existence a hateful sin
My days are spent with my head hung in fear and impotent rage
Keenly aware that I'm human but of a lesser grade

Black and blue
A symbol of justice and truth
Once in my youth I cheered for you
Now, jaded and old i turn my head and hide from you
Years of anger and persecution has made me shrewd

Black and Blue
The painful imprint you left on my skin after Karen's call came through
Despair, frustration, sorrow
In that moment, I feel all shades of blue
All this suffering because of the lies of Karen, that hateful shrew
This time I walk away with my life
Can't say the same about my wounded pride

Black and Blue
Blue, the colour of peace and harmony
That's what others see when they look at you
But with every wheezing breath my lips turn blue
Black creeps along the edges of my vision
Black and Blue, the colours of death
My lungs burst as they strain for that free breath of life
"I can't breathe"
I'm not allowed to.
After all, I'm not a human like you.