Skin-Deep   

​

In a land quite familiar to one we all know

Lived a notable species of folks on-the-go

They came in all shapes, they came big and small

But the color of skin mattered most to them all

One color had power to make all of the rules

The others were workers and worked just like mules

Down deep inside folks knew it was wrong

But for various reasons they all went along

 

One day a strange virus arrived to lay claim

And forever ensure life would not stay the same

It didn’t make anyone feel that sick

It was painless and silent though awfully quick

No headache, no fever, the insides felt fine

No obvious symptoms except for one sign

Skin color changed and it changed so complete

Not an inch stayed the same from the head to the feet

 

The colors were vivid and bright and so new

Beyond those imagined for skin color hues

From mango to cherry and aquamarine

From orchid to lemon to rose ebony   

The virus spread swiftly in every direction

Within two short weeks most had the infection

Some people scrubbed and some people screamed

Others believed they were trapped in a strange dream

 

The doctors and scientists all tried their best

They worked round the clock without any rest

They studied and researched and tested vaccines

They all worked together, and made a nice team

Without a solution they were mystified

Good noone was hurt and nobody had died

It was decided to resume the work day

They’d try to live life in their normal way

 

The Rulemakers met like a typical week

And they looked like a fruit salad, very unique

Except for the Chairman, to their great surprise

He was the color of workers, they all realized

If the Chairman’s new skin was the color of the “mules”

Would they make him a worker, enforcing old rules

The group sat in silence: How could they begin

If it was all based on the color of skin

 

An emotional Chairman then made his appeal:

This is ridiculous and not a fair deal.

I didn’t do this. I was not in control.

It was Mother Nature who took the lead role

Then he paused for a moment, like the pause that you find

When a brilliant idea comes into your mind

Since none of us ever control such a thing

Let’s never use skin color to mean anything

 

There was a new feeling that most of them felt

Like a fresh start, with new cards they were dealt

Nobody judged by the color of skin

They listened instead to each voice from within

Fairness became a new normal each day

They didn’t let past mistakes get in the way

Each color, they learned, had adversity

And good things would happen with diversity

 

Neighbors reflected on what they stood for

And they each considered who they were good for

Folks were more thoughtful of what they each said

Which matters a lot when you’re moving ahead

Color of skin would not determine one’s rank

And that little virus was what they could thank

So lives the virus:  “Skin-Deep”

With a colorful ending they all want to keep