Parody of a minstrel show

still in disbelief
we talk about murder
being rich and life should
be great, instead ideas concerning
misanthropy and misogyny

because we don't trust
each other, nevertheless
refer to prehistoric Neanderthal
ideas of masculinity and femininity
nothing ever changes

never mind my cynicism
future isn't space travel
solving any of the worlds problems
defending mankind against aliens
dictators rise into power

because they project the image
overconfidence, and perhaps on
a mission rooted in some deep
belief in God, regardless of how
anti-anything they may be

people want to follow someone
into greatness, never mind that
those days of being lead by a
leader are over, we will put
someone there, if not ourselves

ideas of what is means to be this
in America are so limiting, given
the desolation back home, our
native continent, ravaged by poverty
AIDS, yet in a sense It's no different

in our own ghettos, just that we're
not of the third world, if an artist
can use some type of metaphor
archetype some imagery to make
this clear to everyone, think of all

of the empty voices I've heard
throughout the years, some militant
some passive, some under the radar,
yet all with the conviction and authority
to demand better from the race

as a whole, challenge individuals,
seeking conscientiousness, which a
true cynic believes is a lost cause
yet those with a moral compass cannot
rest otherwise, you have to love them

yet we embarrassed ourselves and
entertained others to get ahead, wasn't
always true art but you could live
and eat another day, yet better than the
humiliation you suffered at work

being underpaid, under appreciated,
and without recognition, and perhaps
you could use your resources and make
for a better tomorrow, a tomorrow
that never came, ignorant as to our

origins we quickly forget how everything
has flip-flopped and we have traded our
places in the world, how many times
I was told or watched individuals be shamed
as that was acting like someone else

of that race, as if there is nothing good
and worthwhile to attribute to our own
our hair and everything about us is bad,
we're desirable if we're mixed with something
else to bring us closer to some other race

just to be attractive, to get ahead because
we're not as much of a threat,
sickens the soul, parents grew up that way
and it should not be an issue anymore
yet it persists in this "future" we've

created for ourselves, forget that you can
play with all of the dolls and toys that look
like you all that you want, if you feel inferior
to your peers you're just as damned, so
as the show continues, and the performers

die and are replaced by fresh talent
who continues to watch, how much
are they willing to pay, and if it ever
does stop, what will it be replaced by
as a critic I continue to comment

on performances irregardless of whether
or not I agree with them, as an artist I try to
offer alternate solutions, as someone
in this predicament I simply survive, if
not to exceed and excel, nothing else is acceptable