Paint it, Black

(Read to the cadence of “Paint It, Black” by the Rolling Stones)

I see a brown wall
and I want it painted black
all you with brownish skin
I want to send you back

I see brown men walk by
dressed in their working clothes
I tell my ICE agents
It’s time to make them go

I see the Ukraine fry
in Russian drone attacks
the bombing raids and tanks
that turn their cities black

I see our democracy
begin to fade away
a thousand starving kids
in Palestine today

When I look inside myself
and see my heart is black
the orange spray-on tan
can’t cover up the fact

’till that day I fade away
you’re tied onto the track
I’ll make you suffer days
while turning this world black

I watch the climate change
from here to Timbuktu
I smile at the heat that’s
burning into you

If you look hard enough
into my soulless eyes
there’s only room enough
for all that I despise

I see a brown wall
and I want it painted black
just like my darkened heart
too hard to even frac

I see brown men walk by
dressed in their working clothes
I tell my ICE agents
It’s time to make them go

My feeble mind is tainted
tainted black
Black as night
Black as coal
I wanna see the hope
Blotted out from your eyes
I wanna see them painted, painted, painted
painted black, yeah

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Geoffrey Reilly is a retired information designer and aspiring dog whisperer. He lives in Warren, RI with his wife Meg. He enjoys writing essays, poetry, and (every now and then) short stories. You can find Geof’s creative endeavors on his blog site, Bending the Needle – Truth Hurts and on his personal website

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