Kneel
By Crystal Foretia
I am your brother,
not your son, so why
must you raise me up
from my knees like a god
forgiving a supplicant?
As if I'm the one who's sinned.
As if my existence is a sin,
a tar stain on the pristine canvas
that is your perfect Union.
As if I were Cain, though
I was the brother robbed
And killed out of spite.
Which one of us must kneel
before our Father?
Emancipation (1876), Thomas Ball
Crystal Foretia (she, her, hers) was born and raised just outside of D.C., she is a junior in Columbia College studying Political Science and History and the daughter of Cameroonian immigrants. You can find her chapbook Notes from an Estranged Daughter, a collage of anecdotes and contemplations on Black history, in Quarto Magazine. You can also find links to all her published poetry via Linktree: https://linktr.ee/cforetia.