Thursday, 24 September 2020

The subaltern only speaks in accents

there are many ways to create brown -
California sky-blue mixed 
with Princeton-orange, or 

vermillion mingling like tears
with dreams 
of green pastures

the arc of brown representation is long
but it refracts through a prism,
bends towards accent-less beige - 

the diaspora confuses 
its dais for a stage,
milk for honey

for some lucky ones are born American,
some achieve Americanness (dyeing passports),
but mostly we have America thrust upon us

through dinner screens that are still
only skinny mirrors; there are colors
and then there are colours

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