"i see You"
While others pass you by
as if you don’t exist,
Benefitting from your labor -
floors baptized by your mop
just to be touched again by our soles.
Your dignity is radiant
You who are brown
and yet invisible to most
But I see you…
Yes, I do.
Folks in America kick and scream
complaining that you rob us
of good and decent jobs.
Because of you, they say,
papa hasn't worked in years.
But apparently
no one signed up for the
janitorial position that you have.
Because they are to busy watching you clean,
But I see you.
Dedicated to the brown woman that I observed cleaning the Princeton Junction train station on 1.31.07...
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3 comments:
My friend Jamal has a similar poem in her book. Her last line is something to the effect of.."I see you Sis, the only difference between me and you is that I have day job." It was based on the sista janitor on the night shift in the swanky downtown office she worked at.
Same message, great piece.
Hey Babes...naw I see you.
I like, I like.
In a world full of haters, this is welcomed validation.
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