Saturday, August 16, 2014

Mr. Jock

Mr. Jock by Blake Simons ©

Mr. Jock
Big build, curly hair, darker skin, shoulders stock
All you know is the field, in the class you never talk
Can he articulate intellectually? I think not
That was your first thought, before I even talked

Mr. professor you're wrong
You knew it after the semester was over
You said when you saw me walk in the first day of instruction that you would have never thought I would turn out to be one of the smartest in the class
I just smiled, and laughed
Shrugging it off is a normal fallacy
In my head I said what an ass

Mr. professor

Before you judge me next time

Think.

Just think before you fulfill your negative stereotypes about a person
of color who has an athletic build in a predominantly white class

So Mr. Professor..

This is my time to tell you who I AM even though you knew who I WAS by
looking at me when I walked in your class
This will be simple
You won't need a PhD to understand my life.
If this was a test you should pass.

If you knew me,
If you really knew me you would understand the struggle it’s been to
get where I am
If you knew me you would know I had to stop playing the sport I loved
for a year because of the PTSD and depression I suffer as a result of
being abused from the person society tells me to call dad
If you knew me you would know that I had two surgeries in one year and
barely stepped on the field but despite that, I am an honor student
who volunteers and gives back
A student who dreams of a better world and takes steps to change it
rather than succumbing to my pain and falling victim to the
stereotypes.
My perseverance is a constant, it never slacks
So Mr. Professor
If you knew me
You would think twice about insisting that I am only a jock
If anything

I am the furthest thing from that

1 comment:

  1. This is powerful.I read through it twice and then once again. It got deeper each time. Just wanted you to know your words touched me. It's impressive when someone can be vulnerable enough to be real, strong enough to be honest, and open enough to share, all while being plenty wise, insightful, and self aware.I'll not soon forget your words.(I'm having tech issues posting this. Sorry if it posts twice.)

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