Page 33 - SOUTHERN VOICES_2020

Dim Your Light
Cameron Thomas
Little boy, oh little boy
Your pants are up too high
You have a shortage of tattoos
Your luminosity is a bit too outlandish for us Tone it down
You weren’t born to go any further than that corner
The one over there
With the graffiti on the wall
You rock the color orange so well when you wear it You’re irresistible to the po... 12
Don’t bother learning your “rights” as a U.S. citizen Regardless of what they say
You will never be as esteemed or respected
You’re in a race
In which everyone else was given a head-start You’re never going to win
Slavery is over But we’re still slaves to the system Still trapped within the boundaries of the stereotypes There ain’t a place in this world for us outside The hood Oh, I almost forgot Make sure you wear your hood Criminalized so much We feel the need to hide our nappy hair
Your light is shining way too bright Dim it now Watch as the light fades; The melanin will provide your camouflage Matching the darkness of your complexion with the shadows of your fate Lights out, little boy, Lights out
Red Side of the Moon
Nina Vo
Photography
Rainy Evening on Beale Street
Wyatt Shanahan
Photography
27