Unapologetic Poetry
'I Will Never Apologise for Being Who I Am!'
by
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‘Time to wake up’
They call us niggers, they call us dogs and behind
our backs we’re called golly-wogs.
They take our culture and our unity too and
behind our backs, they call us coons!
Will we wake up, will we see, that we are
people, we are human beings.
We are precious and priceless can’t you see that.
Black brothers and sisters, it is time to wake up!
They say we’re dirty and black is not clean and
categorise our people saying coffee with cream.
We war against each other, thinking that is right.
We are looked upon as the dumbest race, ever to survive.
Will we wake up, will we see, that we are
people, we are human beings.
We are precious and priceless can’t you see that.
Black brothers and sisters, it is time to wake up!
Our history is never taught in schools you see and the
younger generation is taught to please and clean.
And even though we try our best, we are never
given the same education as the rest.
Will we wake up, will we see, that we are
people, we are human beings.
We are precious and priceless can’t you see that.
Black brothers and sisters, it is time to wake up!
They stay in the sun to try and be black and plait their hair!
Now who taught them that?
We give away the secrets and the traditions we
know and then they use it to put on a show.
Will we wake up, will we see, that we are
people, we are human beings.
We are precious and priceless can’t you see that.
Black brothers and sisters, it is time to wake up!
Poem by Michelle Smith © July 1996
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About the Book
This powerful and compelling compilation of poems is based on the author’s life experiences from youth to adulthood and boldly challenges issues that evolve around us from a standpoint of culture, family, relationships, race, domestic violence, and gender.
About the Author
Michelle Smith was born and raised in England during the 1970s and is one of five siblings. Her parents divorced when she was twelve years of age and her mother was left to raise her and her siblings. At an early age Michelle, along with her siblings, were introduced to a wealth of literature by her mother and were encouraged to read books. Her mother created a mini library in the family home, which would later on have an impact on Michelle’s’ ability to adapt to various forms of creative writing. Driven by her mother’s passion of literature, she began to write storybooks for her younger siblings and wrote her first poem by the tender age of seven. Her passion for poetry increased as she viewed the changing world and those around her.