Ode to the Only Black Kid in the Classroom

 

creative commons

Ode to the Only Black Kid in the Classroom

By Clint Smith

 

You, it seems,

are the manifestation

of several lifetimes of toil.

Brown v. Board in the flesh.

Most days the classroom feels

like an antechamber.

You are deemed expert

on all things

Morrison, King, Malcolm, Rosa.

Hell, weren’t you sitting

on that bus, too?

You are everybody’s best friend

until you are not.

Hip-hop lyricologist.

Presumed athlete.

Free and reduced sideshow.

Exception and caricature.

Too black and too white

all at once.

If you are successful

it is because of affirmative action.

If you fail

it is because you were destined to.

You are invisible until

they turn on the Friday night lights.

Here you are—

star before they render you asteroid.

Before they watch you

turn to dust.