You call yourself, proudly, a man,
Fiercely, loudly, a Black man!
Prey. Easy prey. You are easy prey.

Because you stand alone
Because you mourn on your own
Because you don’t show your brother
Just how much you silently suffer
Because you compete against each other
In envy instead of bonding together
Under the attacks of all those
Who consider you their subhuman foes.
Prey. Easy prey. You are easy prey.

Che Chidi Chukwumerije

Poems from the inner river