he has to

pick a costume.

brown can be his costume.

he buys face paint from a migrant.

she knows what and why she is selling.

cash or card? she must always offer options

to others. how can a swift magnetic swipe taste

like chains? in his mirror: he slathers bought brown

and feels nothing; she scrapes away her brown and wishes.
my skin is carved from nobles, warriors etched into honour boards

you will never read. my family is forest, unshakable trees

in whose shade i knew growth. sapling, i did not know

the hue of my bark, nor that it could be wrong.

i only knew that my roots could drink

until torn and dumped in waterless

bricks and concrete. at school,

i learned thirst. i learned you:

we don’t play with niggers.

i learned that bark burns

and does not go out

without water

so i learned

to peel. 
brownface is easy:

smear on, clean off, live on,

your face returned to you.
whiteface is endless:

i cannot apply it. i tear off

the brown, the black, the dirt

until i am bones.