Plagiarism, From the Latin
Plagium Meaning “a Kidnapping”
My friend leaned into me,
clapped his hand on my shoulder
and called me a word he paid for
with the color of his skin,
and it meant he liked me.
I wanted to be liked
and sent his word back to him.
But from my mouth it cracked
like a whip, its leather
braided from the history of my people
enslaving his people,
and we were tossed on a ship
crossing the Atlantic in 1619,
and there was no way to unsay
the distance, no passage back,
no way to return what I’d taken.
--
White Privilege
When you’re not the target
you can ignore the gun.
--
Copyright 2022 Michael T. YoungMichael T. Young's books include The Infinite Doctrine
of Water published by Terrapin.
Vox Populi 
those three last lines: “no way to unsay
the distance, no passage back,
no way to return what I’d taken.”!
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Yes, very powerful lines…
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Thank you.
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