It Was Just A Joke
A Poetic Reflection
Approx. Read Time - 7 mins
Her hair fell out so he had to shame,
His words of choice were “G.I. Jane”.
A back-handed compliment,
was the punchline.
He killed it alright!
A deceptively harmless crime.She rolled her eyes as her husband laughed.
When he saw her crestfallen,
he was aptly tasked.
And as he stood and approached the stage with a stature erect.
A cultural first, a Black man openly addressed a Black cultural neglect.
Egg on his face,
The disgrace.
He salvaged the fallen yoke.
“Relax! My brotha!’”, the community rallies...
...it was just a joke!
The slap left the comedian speechless.
He was sufficiently stunned.
No care about her being insulted.
Same sentiment if she
were missing or gunned.
The broadcasters say
Washington and Cooper
remind him of his special day.
No news yet and still wondering
if Lupita checked, “Sis, you ok?”
While the head-scratching
and the guilty verdict
landed before it was sufficiently tried.The toxicity that precipitated the events
were as detectible as carbon monoxide.How many times these days in the mediascape do you see...
a Black couple
together?...In a movie scene?
...In a freeing theme?
...In the front row
at an awards show in fair weather?
How often do you see
Black women in your life?Do you even notice her?Do you gaze and stare?How do you regard her?Do you scrutinize......her tone of voice?...her way of wear?...her hair?
Slights served a mean backhand
by Critic’s Choice CampionWhile receiving her trophy,
she dismissed
the Williams duo multi-champion.With tongue-in-cheek and liberal candor
the room erupted to applause
at Jane’s wit.And all the while Venus and Serena
were tone-policed and arrested
to grin and bear it.And while women like Campion
are dismissed
to the name of their evening gown.Jada’s only protection comes from the confines of a possessive pronoun.
The untold stories of undermining humour
go on and on for miles.The most recent prior to this was
Che’s jokes on Simone Biles.Be it scripted, corralled,
rated, or craftily ad-libbed.Not an ounce of accountability
when Black women are openly
disrespected and ribbed.Deafening silence is aloud
when epithets lace music tracks.Any non-Black speak nearly close to it,
it’s tone-deaf and roils clapbacks.
And the age old advising
commonly known
as the infamously titled,"Black Tax"Is three times fold for Black women...More for dark skin...Those are the unspoken facts.
O’ the many hypocrisies
for these weary eyes to see.So many brands of advocacy
and
racial illiteracy.So many assertions categorized,
And strategically alphabetized.So many perversions
surreptitiously muzzled.
When openly criticized,
they’re all puzzled.Chuck n’ jive when it’s Black-on-Black.
Hide the dirty laundry, don’t let it crack!
Black behaviour in White spaces is confined to a curious gaze encrypted.Dare not fall out of line beyond the code that is tacit and invisibly scripted.The unspoken prices and vilified vices among the likes of Janet Jackson and Will Smith,Are outspoken White offences eclipsed by silent Black ones that they
will forever be tasked to live with.
And while the slap made
our shared plea for civility,
argue,
pontificate,
whisper
and
mostly bristle.Like a kettle on a stove,
this Black man heard that familiar sound
Black women hear......an irritating,
...piercing,
...unrelenting,
dog whistle.The veiled humour is potent currency in what Moya Bailey terms misogynoir.Listen carefully in pop culture music,
at the store,
restaurant,
or passing car.Look carefully in the ads you see,
In viral videos, in movies and even on TV.
Observe carefully how a Black woman
is regarded if she is a patron in a space.And if you only see her when she is in service of it then it’s a truth you need to face.Did she......organize your event?...clean your space?...watch your kid?...prepare your food?Does she......seem a bit quirky?...appear distasteful?...somehow seems to always have a mood?
Before you stir an explanation,
just sit and let your thoughts soak.It was more what was behind the line
that crossed it.It was more than just a joke.