Ebony Guy

Rob Burgess

Little ebony guy

with big brown eyes
Full of energy
and full of life
Hopping, dancing
laughing loudly
I'm glad you're here in
the seat ahead of me.

You care not

the color of my skin
You smile at me
talk to me in your own babbling language
Your hand reaches out
to touch my knee
I'm so glad
you're ahead of me.

Watching you

encourages me to be full of energy, of life.
You make me want
to smile and laugh
To dream beyond
the colors of our skin
Oh, those tiny, little hands
and fingers reaching out to me
I pray that I won't forget
that you sat in front of me.

Little ebony man,

I pray for you
Grow up
not looking at the color of one's skin
But change the world
and continue to make it a better place to live in.
Go on now
and live in your child's world,
And I won't forget
the difference you already have made
Because you sat ahead of me.

Return to the Spring 1999 Entries


NATIVE TONGUES
Fall 1998/Spring 1999: Volume 8, Edition 1
Southern Nazarene University
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