Mr. Melanin by Chuckwuka Chinakwe

Melanin Conference without Blacks present

Looking for what they did not keep in me

Searching for more ways to label me shit

Naming everything bad as black

From black list to black book

From dark horse to black sheep

Forgetting that every other color came out of black

From albinos to other shades of human skin

From the biggest diamonds to the choicest gold

From AfroBeat to Rhythm and blues

From Calypso to Jazz and Soul

But their interest in me speaks volumes that we are special

From our sun-resistant glowing skin

To our sun-pointing curly hair

From our raw inner physical strength

To our unharnessed mental prowess…

Just because our conquest is the most recent does not make us the weakest

Mr. Melanin, when will you wake up?

Are you not fatigued of being ashamed?

The world is hoping against hope

That you don’t wake up and regain your crown.

THINK on these things…….

Chukwuka Chinakwe is a gifted poet and philosopher, with a large collection of anthologies to his name. He trained as an architect bagging a masters degree from the federal university of technology, Akure, Ondo State in Nigeria. He also has several professional certifications in Project management. He is a published author and a proud member of several professional bodies in his country like the Association of Nigerian authors (ANA), the Nigerian institution of safety engineers (NISafetyE). He is widely traveled and has rich cultural experience across borders. He and his family are based in Lagos, Nigeria.