The poem I started earlier was erased
So I’m reminded of the irony
When I stare in the face
Of a non melanated person who tells me
That I can’t enter this building
Through this entrance
And indeed,
If I’m not performing or entertainment
Then to get in I need to make different arrangements
The space for the merchants where I can spend
Is right around the corner
Where they’re allowed to vend
Now, if I make my way down to that entrance
And you make your way to it to let me in
Almost as if to make it appear that we’re friends
Or that we’re now even because you allowed me
Entrance
Never mind the fact that you are occupying a
Historically black space 
And then I turn the corner to the vendors
And it’s then that I’m reminded
And I remember
The very reason why initially
A few years ago
A few of us banded together
To give black-owned businesses 
Both Large
and small
A day to gain revenue 
And it took shape in the form 
Of a cookout and festival
And even though the city tried their very best
To shut it down
Every year they held it
And it became more popular in town
So now that it’s a federal holiday
They had to accept and adopt
And now they put it on the calendar
And throw their own thing
And gatekeep those who they want onstage 
With a couple of those we respect 
To allow them some currency
So now we get to let them determine our order 
Our worth
And every single year now they get to act
Like they discovered it
First
And that’s why today was a stark reminder
Of why I was intent
On aligning with those who were obsessed
With carving out
Our very own space
But you can let them keep playing
In your face
So I supported as many black businesses as possible today,
Left
And I’ll see y’all at Charles Young
This Saturday