Hasnain Ali Syed
Brown
I am not just brown
I am where
The glow of melanin meets
The shine of pearl white
An intersection of culture
An unparalleled sight
I have a history of resilience
But don’t mistake me for weak
I have scared off your soldiery
Toppled Kingdoms, so to speak
My valor knows no boundaries
Undaunted is my audacity
I am not just bodily strong
I’ll win you with my sagacity
If you happen to keep the view
That you can easily take me down
Then I am sorry, you are misguided
I think you’ve never fought a Brown
We’ve been kings, we’ve been soldiers
We’ve been refugees with no means
But what we have never been is desolate
It is just not present in our genes
You can close the doors of opportunities
Right in our faces in hour of need
But remember there is an Omnipotent
And He won’t care for color or creed
He is benevolent for all his Creation,
He is the one who made me Brown
So I embrace it like a Gift from Him
And wear it proudly like a crown
—Submitted on 06/28/2020
Hasnain Ali Syed was born in Sialkot, Pakistan, and moved to Lahore to study medicine, graduating with a medical degree from Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed al Nahyan Medical College. He lives in Lahore with his family.
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