The Undercover Chicano Speaks

In the hierarchy
of White racism
I see 
two distinct reactions:

first,
there is hard hatred
against Black skin
and those who
inhabit it,
the blacker the skin,
the more virulent
the animus, and

second,
there is soft hatred
against those
who are off-white,
of which I am
one.

Since I am not
as dark as others,
I do not endure the same
wrath as they do,
but don’t think
this is any kind
of protection.

As I am
fair-skinned,
the White racists
sometimes forget
that I am non-White
and let me see
who they really are

-in all their
entitled ignorance and ignominy-

and I can test
in real-time
whether their
words and actions
align
into ethical integrity.

This perspective
is a blessing,
and the finding
is often a curse,

but that’s the risk
you take
when you’re
the Undercover Chicano.