The Catholic School Called Home

The Catholic school called home

Because my sister said her favorite color was black.

It didn’t make much sense to me,

But I guess little white girls can’t say things like that.

Pink or purple would have been a more proper answer,

Though those colors are clearly marked “No boys allowed”.

Because if a boy said that, it would sound queer

And apt to raise some eye brows.

So anything else could have been her favorite

As long as it was a happy, gender-aligned color.

Lest the school receive a strongly-worded letter

From a concerned Christian mother.

Who would have asked that the crayons be organized

In such a way as to avoid debating.

Perhaps to tuck the black crayons away high on a shelf

Solely for in case of emergency shading.

But then again why use black at all

When you could as easily paint the night sky dark blue?

Wouldn’t it be better to just draw cats of the luckier variety?

Or simply press harder to shade with the same hue?

Then all the gold-starred parents could pat their backs

For helping spare their children’s greenhorn minds,

While the minority’s complaints become cobwebbed words

Turning gray and benign.