The ice-breaker

The color of the skin
was a household discourse
a cause of concern
that spread its agonies
beyond the domestic front.

Eyes would shy away
from darkness,
paint a beautiful face
with foreign fairness
so it merged in the blinded way.

Tearful years have passed,
bloody roads buried
by design, under the red carpet,
until freshness bloomed bright
and held aloft the ignored right.

Dewdrops brightened the colors
when dawns broke, certain and sudden
smiling meadow, dancing brooks
heralded overlooked beauty; ice-breaking silence
on the same stage, under the same sun.