Ten toes, two eyes, two hands just like you

Often times, we stand at the precipice of life and wonder at the beauty of nature. Have you ever observed a myriad of flowers, how so very beautiful and how so very different. They bloom so differently, each with its individual scent . They  release their beauty and their scents harmoniously to the world, albeit  to the earth. It would have been an  abhorrence to the earth their refusal of the existence of the other.Don’t       you watch them as majestically, hand  in hand they beautify the earth with  their differences and at their own time and pace. None of them questions  why the other should be in existence and how the other should exist. None of them questions why the other should bloom differently.

we’re meant to understand that the pacific and Atlantic oceans do not mix . Their beauty is in the beautiful layout of their differences, the confluence of the ease with which they abide side by side in harmony. The execution of their duties peacefully ,even as their colors and nature are different. But it’s the same make of water, the same nature, the same substance. Never have we heard that their coexistence side by side had brought harm to either of them. They do not stifle one another, nor question one another, nor drown one another in hate , nor war with one another.

The beauty of our existence as humans, is found in our diversities , our shape, our forms and in our blood. Often times, I wonder why I should come to the table clothed in a name that is not mine. Given a name that is not mine , even whilst I resist! Judged, called by a name that is not mine by the same people that have two eyes, two legs, two hands , one mouth just like me even if the textures of the hair were to be different. I’m asked to take permission just to be me and to speak with brokenness , cast down my eyes just because of my skin color.

I’ve observed that at the very core of prejudice lays ignorance and mischief often times  coated in lies. The emasculation of another human being reduces the sum total of all of us. There are stories that should be left untold sometimes, to the shame of the world and society. The putridity in its telling leaves cancerous sores on the mind, how do you bequeath such stories to generations unborn! Such cringeworthy stories and  happenstances of pure wickedness of a people. To encounter such stories in its absolute truth, to confront it even,  is the dearth of my soul. The incredulity of placing oneself above another with the overwhelming evidence of similarities, of sameness of features, abilities and capacities jars at my soul. It leaves a reverberating hollow of sadness. Even with the incredible beauty of differences, and the altitudes of greatness that could be.  if there’s respect for  the observed differences even if it were to be very familiar. It’s wanton foolishness to bring divisions and cruelty, even display of callousness in the face of another human being. To belittle another fellow is to be spiritually blind.

This conversation should be held gently with care and absolute sobriety. It’s not a drunken conversation , nor one had in leisure nor in luxury of fine speeches. When we want to converse, even X-ray it , we lean on our nakedness and remove every veneer of clothings. The beauty of a people resides in their culture and their traditions. The way they came, the way they’re made is divine.  Divine who choose to create differently, to enhance beautifully. To strip a man of either of these leads to nakedness and confusion. To blind analyze a man , solely by the way you met him even before you’ve experienced him is on its own unjust and unfair. To continue to analyze a man and relate to him on stories told you by another is evil. To impose on another, your traditions and culture without seeking to understand his or her own, is to willfully desecrate and destroy the whole essence and destiny of another man. To subdue a man , is to reduce the sum total of what makes humanity human.

Why do we fight?  I like it when Nelson Mandela said, he was not interested in white domination, neither was he interested in black domination but was fighting for the freedom, the respect and dignity of all men wether white or black.  I dare add, that both may dwell respectfully along side each other like the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. We love to point at these oceans, marvel at their beauty, how so different in color, how they don’t mix but how warm they are to each other. We refuse to see the beauty of their wisdom neither the lessons thereof. But the conversation today is about you. Yes you! In your dealings how much responsibility towards your fellow do you reckon. At the point of exchange, how much of yourself do you see in another person, that  seemingly looks so different from you but so alike. You have two hands, two feet, ten toes, ten fingers, one mouth, two eyes , one head so does your fellow . There may be variations, even versions of it all but when you’re cut it’s redness that oozes out. Not blue, green, gray nor yellow. It is red blood that oozes out. In matters of life and death I could take your blood and you can have mine!

Often times, we love to stand at the approaches of our confusion and point fingers to complexities of our misunderstandings. That a man will feel so highly and elevated against another is a lack of understanding that deserves schooling , it is a total display foolishness, waste of time and unfair. Because we have one life, one entrance into the world, one death and one exit.We must converse gently, come to these tables of conversations and ignorance with gentility even if it’s devoid of humility and humanness.  Because , once that which makes us humane is eroded i it’s stead stands a beast, a confusion, a nakedness and an irony. We must come naked to these tables of conversation throwing away the cloaks that covers our apparitions of misunderstandings, neglects, half truths and random mussing . Throw away the sanctimonious benigness of showmanship of empathy. We must seek to understand and remove under workings of cloaked and masked ruthlessness and face the stark naked truth!

For, when a man lies in state, it is finished! He returns eventually to earth with no colorations . The earth receives it and marvels as it decomposes and becomes one with the earth no colors , no variations not black , not white just earth color . The man returns to dust eventually and becomes manure. Why do you hate! Why do you deal so slyly like a fox, why do you hunt down your fellow with relish. Why do you cast down and cast away your fellow. Why do you let your biases stand in the way of freedom, free-living, respect , mutual opportunities and restoration of the dignity of all men. Observe nature, how they wonderfully coexist and listen to each other. The world is at war today because we can’t hear one another. In nature , where there is warm springs there may also be a cold spring and they co exist and listen to each other. Remember, to bring your humanity with you all the time. Remember , that yes black lives matter , yes All lives matter too but that’s not the conversation today. Allow us to talk about the black lives , the closing of doors , the locking of gates and the releasing of hounds and hyenas into our arena. For today, lift up the heavy boulder placed on a generation, the closing of doors, the chaining of gates and the denial of it all in plain sights.

As, we continue to converse on the injustices done to the black community and seek to mend fences. Let us not forget to sincerely say the truth in our closets, first to ourselves then to others , that’s where it matters most. For the one that matters most , remains the inward truths told and genuine restitutions done in sincerity. Don’t forget to change and change truthfully in all entirety. The truth remains, that the emasculation, subjugation of any man diminishes me.  We have ten toes, two hands, two eyes irrespective of skin color, hair textures, eye color. We have one blood, one life, one entry to life and one exit thereof. God don’t like ugly! Remember the toils of the fields, the hewing of wood, the calloused hands of  my ancestors, their hollowed face and brittle feet. Don’t give me a name that is not mine! Nor define me in measures that are strange , nor weigh me in capacities that are alien. Nor baptize me in waters not meant for me. 

Gently lift up up my chin and look into my doe eyes . Don’t say the benediction over me , when I’ve not said same for myself. I-am comely ! So so comely , glistening in all majesty. Don’t cover your eyes at  the unraveling of me because you live in denials of my story and the awesomeness that is me. When you tell my story, don’t let it be a contraption, nor a contradiction of your imagination nor a concoction of confusing fables. Remember that as  the sun sets , the moon emerges beautifully. I’m wondering why it’s not so for black and white, brown and yellow. I’m wondering why it’s not so in the midst of men. Tell my stories of bloodbath but not without the goblets with which you drank it . 

Finally, when the day is done, at the turning away of you. No matter how you stand behind dark allies and gloat in the superiority of you, and deny and deny my existence . I’m still the sum total of you. Ten toes, two eyes, two legs, one blood, one head warts and all . All hairs brown and black , doe eyes, blue eyes, brown eyes, gray eyes. When I’m cut and you’re cut!  It’s still red blood that gushes out still.