what the ocean said to the black boy

you know how to swim boy?

i know you can float

felt you bobbing along my surface

before you even knew you could

they say you just a conflagration

of bad intentions boy

they use me to put you out

don't want you burning this place down

again

they see

a little too much l'ouverture in you

a little too much turner

a little too much of what they already had enough of

what you see when you look at me?

you know how many of y'all I swallowed?

you just a drop of ink

on this canvas

boy

they call me blue because

they don't understand how the sky work

they call you black because

they don't understand how god work