Skin II by Rudy Francisco

Written in 2017.

When you are the only black man
in the whole neighborhood,

your skin is that one friend who
meets everyone before you do.

It wears a wife beater
and house shoes,

It knocks over the
neighbor's mailbox,

it cusses in front of the kids
and plays the music too loud,

but you actually don't do
any of those things.

It's 7 pm.
It's Wednesday
and you are just

walking home.