Much is being made about what lives matter
Using a system that’s color based
Much like a Pantone Matching System for humans
A system of color chips that determine your place in society
For life
One that accurately predicts your chances of an unnatural death
Deep, saturated colors of despair with few highlights of hope
Mixed with the horrors of deep-seated conflicts 400 years in the making
Words of hope on banner and board, brilliant colors with promise of healing
and resolution that might come today
Please… why not today?
Colorful threads woven into the fabric of our everyday
Everywhere
In the world
It’s the one thing we all have in common
Every country, every culture has their tartan, their homespun,
their weave generations in the making
Too much pigment in your skin
Or, too little
Too much eyelid, nose or hip
Too much fill-in-the-blank
Though all the proper words have been spoken from pulpit and podium
And all the proper words have been in newspapers and blogs
Still, so many have not read or heard
Still, the old coding in minds and hearts wins the day
Being so comfortable and committed, the shawl woven by their tribe
wrapped tightly around their shoulders
This is their reality and their truth
As long as there is a different thread woven into the row below them
Dragging on the ground, frayed and filthy with the daily wear
Until it gets to them.
