Looking

How.     How?     How!

            *  *  *

It's okay 'cause we're all white now
bathed in light of every colour,
imperfection washed away
treated the same and left to dry
multiculturalism at its finest:
assimilation

See the black one angry and loud
hear the rude joke about the Mexican
or the Irish
but we frown as we chuckle
and assure with "no offense"
cover your ass
'cause we're all white now

Learn your history, learn disgust of genocide
The Holocaust, a tragedy
Don't you dare contradict their sorrow

Slavery built our Great Nation?
A dark time in our history
but we're all white now
remember the great speeches, the bus rides,
the Dream realified, now we have good laws
ban reclaim reclaim Ban ??? the n-word

Okay, so we're working on it
but it's okay because we're working on it
We see. We know. and so do They

Because we're all white now

Hold demonstrations, Day-s of remembrance
assemblies at schools, policies and poetry
racism is a dirty word
hold your head high and claim Your Rights
'cause we're all white now

Asians in their concentration camps
Arabs in our airports
All for safety, with due apology meanwhile and after
'cause we're all white now

Then something tugs from the corner of your mind
Something once learned forgotten
Something in the timeline doesn't connect
what happened to that history?

The true citizens, whose names and language
were put into words with your alphabet
which just look like a lot of letters.
Indians, First Nations, Native Americans
trade, learning, sharing culture and custom
overrun, flooded, demonized and dehumanized
Unseen among the trees, cut down for civilization
Battled bravely, and worked for peace
negotiated, tried everything - gave everything
lost everything
'cause we're all white now

How could you not see
The Trail of Tears
glistening in the moonlight, steaming under the sun
graven into the land and time
and how can it ever make sense?

Go enjoy the totem poles, buy a pair of moccasins
made in Taiwan
Continue down the street where you don't see
the homeless alcoholic
Don't see the good parents trying to teach their children
A proud and beautiful, ancient culture
forget about the reservations where we've packed them all away
that was the brief explanation in History class, right?
Where they all went
'cause we're all white now

Minorities are protected by laws these days
They have Rights
They have the Vote  (took you long enough)
They have a Voice
don't they?

And there's no need for resentment
Over what our predecessors did to theirs
We can't be blamed
shouldn't be held accountable
shouldn't have to do anything?
'cause we're alright now.
Right?