Whitewashed

My reflection in a storm-scattered lake,

Darker, unsettled, echoes of fragments.

As the waves return me, to me, I reflect

Upon my image.

My never tanned skin hides my heritage just as

Securely as the closet once held the rest of me.

A woman of color without color,

Whitewashed to invisibility, sinking

Below the waters of privilege, never

Drowning, perpetually in search of oxygen.

I slide into the cool, now still lake, joining

With that other me, diving deeply to the

Murky roots.

Their presence comforts me in the brief

Moment of touch before I am forced

Back

To the surface.