Chessboard Cities

I saw an old brick house
It was worn down
And the windows bust out
But the bricks were solid
And the foundation strong
I wondered how long?
Had this place been forgotten?
Why was there no family
To make that house a home
Why was the yard overgrown
And why were there no garden gnomes?
We went further and I saw
What I already should of known
Faces like mine on this side of town
All different shades of black or brown
Wounded souls
Who still bear the burden of our forefathers toils
Hands dried and cracked
From working the white man’s soil
But that was long ago
So now why do blacks live in rundown neighborhoods
Where whites don’t go?
Unless to buy buildings to make condos
Well here is something I do know
That sickness
And wickedness
Is still in us
So even though it is 2018
Skin color seems to be the only thing seen
Nothing in between
Blacks still not human beings
Just blame us for being lazy
Because the truth be
They had a role in this reality
No need to only blame
Or rub it in their faces to shame
For in that way none of us change
No one knows the the whole truth
And the full story
None of us know
God in their true glory
When we worship in separate houses
But read the same book
And praise the same Christ
Who promises us eternal life
The one who is preparing us all room
In the Lord’s house of light
Why will no one rebuild those houses for the men
And women?
Who now stand outside them
Who need dignity and respect
Cause our DNA does not forget
How and why we got here
Tormented, tortured, taught to live in fear
Hard to find love in these circumstance
For others or for ourselves
Somehow it became just about wealth
Bad physical health
And some really fucked up mental health
I can see that
Found out even more on the journey within
Where this story did begin
I also saw where it might end
In my dreams
We were all more than friends
Finally acknowledged we are all actually relatives
Would you rape and kill your sister?
Or sell your mother?
Or deny your brother?
When they show up on your doorstep
With nothing left
Drenched soaking wet
It’s our connection to each other we do forget
For why?
A car that looks fly?
First class when you fly in the sky?
The biggest granite tombstone when you die?
What if no one came to say goodbye
Or no one was there at the Lord’s house to say hi?
Now what has all that money bought?
What has all that hatred brought
Chessboard cities
Black squares distraught
White squares abundant
With schools where classics are taught
Grocery stores with unprocessed meat
No trash in the street
Everyone got Nikes on their feet
I am still unsure why it is this way
Why we forget this color grey
The in between
The part that is both black and white
Both day and night
Heads and tails
The coin complete
But it is more than that
All colors and shades in fact
And if we want the American Dream in tact
We must be true to that
We still have a long way to go
Our hearts still have a lot of room to grow
Will we get there?
I dunno
However this I do know
I read it in a book so you can too
Treat others like gold in all you do
No matter their skins tone
Cause what’s on the news
That’s not true
To know another is to know you
And to know you is the only way to know
God is true