Okay, Brown Girl, Okay

Josie, Josie, I am okay
being brown. I remember,
every day dusk and dawn get born
from the loving of night and light
who work together, like married.
       And they would like to say to you:
       Be at school on and on, brown Josie
       like thousands and thousands and thousands
       of children, who are brown and white
       and black and pale-lemon colour.
       All the time, brown girl Josie is okay.

Josie, Josie, I am okay
being brown. I remember,
every minute sun in the sky
and ground of the earth work together
like married.
      And they would like to say to you:
      Ride on up a going escalator
      like thousands and thousands and thousands
      of people, who are brown and white
      and black and pale-lemon colour.
      All the time, brown girl Josie is okay.

Josie, Josie, I am okay

being brown. I remember,

all the time bright-sky and brown earth

work together, like married.

      And they would like to say to you:

      Grow and grow brightly, brown girl.

      Write and read and play and work.

      Ride bus or train or boat or aeroplane

      like thousands and thousands and thousands

      of people, who are brown and white

      and black and pale-lemon colour.

      All the time, brown girl Josie is okay.

Okay, Brown Girl, Okay

By James Berry

~~~

I've read this poem, over and over, because at first I didn't understand why people would expect other people to say nice things to them, when they're upset or mad or sad, as if it could take them away from whatever state they were in before. I thought only yourself can control you, no matter what happened, because at the end nobody will stick around when you messed up but yourself. But I found an answer, from reading this poem over and over, though I'm not sure I can tell here because I think I'm never really good at telling people something. 

But I found an answer, from reading this poem over and over, yes let me try to point out my point again. Things happen and sometimes bad thoughts suffocate our minds, and we didn't get that every day dusk and dawn get born from the loving of night and light who work together, like married. Our worlds are so distinct from those of others, whilst really it starts with the same dusk and dawn.

I found an answer, from reading this poem over and over, that every minute sun in the sky and ground of the earth work together like married. While they do, we are too busy thinking that our ground has fallen and the sky is too far away to reach, whilst really, like married, they are two inseparable elements working together keeping us in between, if protecting sounds too intimate and you don't like it.

I found an answer, from reading this poem over and over, that all the time bright-sky and brown earth work together, like married. And again, we are too busy judging that we're left behind and we're alone and no one cares about us, whilst really the bright-sky and brown earth work together all the time and they don't even have the same roles in life.

I know I'm not the sweetest candy in the box but let me try to say this to you, whoever you are. All the time we are doing something, breathing to be the least, and they have impacts on others' lives because even the sky and ground work together. And you don't know how much you've impacted on someone's life just by saying a simple thing, and it doesn't always have to be sweet. Maybe expecting isn't really the word but really, sometimes people can be so helpless that hearing people say nice things can soothe.

All the time, brown girl Josie is okay.