The Apocalypse Never Ends For Some of Us
They call it assimilation
I call it annihilation.
The belief that you must shed yourself
to access the white man’s bliss
when they have labeled you the white man’s burden.
It cuts like a dull knife, rough, & jagged, and though there’s no blood
there’s still loss; not all violence is as clear as a fist to the face.
Many give in to survive, but whether it is self-inflicted or imposed
it creates a wound that will not close. Not on its own.
I’ve heard it said that not all skinfolk are kinfolk
and it’s sad how we confuse monoliths for unity
and shrug off our communities.
They teach us if we don’t speak right we don’t deserve to be heard
by who holds the power. They cannot exert it if they don’t have it.
And they cannot have it unless you give it, so instead they take it.
And it’s not a crime if it’s sanctioned by the state
when violence becomes law they don’t have to negotiate
because ‘the law is the law’.
This is why they don’t want us to think.
So, when they call for my assimilation
I will respond with this declaration.
-yo no me quito.