I AM HERE: A Poem About Privilege

photo by Deepak Kumar

A Poem About Privilege

I am here.
You are there.

Power is everywhere?
But you have grabbed it.
You control it.
You wield it,
and appropriate it

So skillfully.
You’ve lulled us to sleep,
And helped us believe,
There is beauty in the power you use.

Abuse.

Misuse.

Undoing the sense of agency,
Of upward mobility.
Affirming me
For staying where I am.

I am here.

You are there.

Spurning my attempts:
To work outside your plan
Of privilege,
Outside of your thoughts of who I am.

To chase the dreams of my father and mother,
That are other
And outside the box, you built for me.
Beautiful and padded with locks, that gleam

Requiring keys
Assigned not to the least of these.
But to those with the most,
Who can and are able to host,
The meal, the match,
And after-party.
They make deals to catch,

And win before the starting.

And grab the key,
That unlocks the box called ‘destiny’.

It opens up options
To consolidate power,
Within the bright ivory tower.

Whose shadow is long and as it casts wide,
As its height and opulence divide,
Me from you and us from them.
Creating fences meant to bend,

Perception from reality,
To mask my true identity,
But not hide it.
So it can be said ‘Look, they’re united.’

I am here, though.

And you are there.

There is distance and difference
That separates us,
There is distance and difference
Between our starting places.

When the races end
And I’ve lost again,
When the chapters are written
And we still aren’t within,

Powerful places and are without ‘a win’.
I can always rely on
Knowing I’ll hear.
Your kind words and whispers
Meeting my ear.

Measured by you for intent not impact You condescend from the tower to have my back.

“It’s great you ran the race;” “It’s great, that you tried”

Then comes your bold bright-faced lie

“With more hard work; you’ll get‘em next time”