Black don't crack

we all know that "Black don't crack."

well, what about half-Black?

what a stupid question—

"does half-Black crack?"

I thought we were talking about sunscreen.

she laughed when she said it.

am I the only one who doesn't get the joke?

I never have,

I never will.

I’m always stuck in the middle, staring at the mirror,

hoping my Blackness will be made clearer to you (to me)

"You better hope your Black side comes through for you,” she said.

do I have a Black side? can race be that easily quantified?

it's as easy as left and right—

Black and white.

the question doesn't deserve an answer

but here I am, writing one anyway

putting false hope in the idea that this will make me feel better

I’ll get back to you in ten, maybe twenty years—

I'll let you know if half-Black cracks on the outside

but I can tell you right now

that every micro aggression, every question perfectly aimed with “only the best" intention

chips, chips away at the carefully crafted armor I try to maintain

and every time I choose to laugh it off,

to tolerate you

rather than fulfill the assumptions you've already made

I crack just a bit

on the inside—

does that answer your (my) question?