What Is It To Be Black

What is it to be black?
Is it the color of my skin?
An attitude?
Is it my way of talking?

What is it to be black?
Is it the men I date?
The clothes I wear?
Is it my way of walking?

What is it to be black?
Is it the people I hang with?
The shows I watch?
The music I listen to?

I always thought all I need was to know and embrace my culture,
But lately it seems, it’s not enough to do.

It seems that to others I’m not black,
I’m merely light skinned.
And I’m always labeled white washed,
because my slang isn’t “in”.

The men I like come in all shades.
To race I pay no mind.
My clothes don’t follow the latest trends.
A tee shirt and jeans are fine.

My girls come from all ethnicities, from Latina, To Black , To Palestinian, to White.
I watch Girlfriends, Drew Carey, The Real Word, because I don’t care what the actors look like.

But the question still remains, what is it to be black?
Should it matter what you say, when you talk behind my back.
Should it make me any difference, what it is you think I lack.
Cause I know who I am and where I come from, and I am proud that I am black.