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Joe's Cafe, 24/7 pit stop for ESL learners and teachers | January 2008
Egg's off, bacon's off, bread's off, tea's off. English is on though.
And you calling me colored??When I born, I black. And you white people. And you calling me colored?? Written by an African child and nominated by UN as the Best Poem of 2006. Joe | Monday, January 28th, 2008 | Filed under Poetry
66 Responses to “And you calling me colored??”Leave a Comment |  Personal blog of Josef Essberger, EnglishClub founder Browse by Category |
14th February 2008 at 1:55 pm
thank you, it is very interesting and has come from the innocent heart
15th February 2008 at 3:25 pm
Great poem, I love it! Such a smart kid.
21st May 2008 at 9:10 am
Loved it…Children are amazing…that´s why teaching them gives me so much pleasure. thank you!
27th May 2008 at 5:31 pm
thanks.. it is very nice words ….. they make me laugh and think
24th June 2008 at 3:42 am
It’s really touching me… Thank you to bring me meaning smile
22nd December 2008 at 12:07 pm
Nice Poem, makes me think of who I am inside me.
30th December 2008 at 9:00 am
hmm,,cool poem,,direct came from the heart of innocent child,,keep it up
31st December 2008 at 8:07 am
I can’t believe this poem came from a child. I has a precious lesson for people all over the world, especially who hate black people as well as Asians.
19th January 2009 at 11:43 am
I think this is the best poem,not only for 2006 , for 2007,2008,2009…………………….
I have never read a poem like this..
Superb and Amazing poem.
24th January 2009 at 6:27 pm
i really admire the deepness of this child’s thinking and the great imagination he is using in here
wish he can continu and go farther ;i can admit that he s changed my perceptions of colors
26th January 2009 at 4:53 pm
I’m so touched make me smile & think inspires me a lot thank you for sharing some thoughts you are so lovely!
7th March 2009 at 3:00 am
When I read this poem, I can’t image it is from a child. I love it so deeply! Hope this child give us new surprises.
18th March 2009 at 2:24 pm
well reading it im half black,.. and it says alot and means alot. its saying so much. it hits the color thing right on the dot. when i cold, i black when u cold u blue. =D i love it so much!!!! my whole poetry class read this and loved this.. hope we see much more… from this child:) hopfully… it opens our eyes to c children not only as jus learning and look at them as learned, experienced, and wise.
18th March 2009 at 2:37 pm
a great poem from a very insightful child. it really gets you thinking also. i love it! :]
19th March 2009 at 11:09 am
A very nice poem.Short and smart.I like it.This child should continue writing poems because he is really good at it.
25th March 2009 at 1:33 pm
I want to e-mail this poem to my friend,because she doesn’t agree her daughter to marry with a Hindu.
25th March 2009 at 3:53 pm
That’s an amazing poem.
26th March 2009 at 7:42 pm
It is very nice poem
4th April 2009 at 1:49 am
this poem is so touching to my heart .it give me lots of thinking. from this child’s eye the colour - racial discrimination is still around the world.
4th May 2009 at 3:03 am
well done kid..well done pride future infront of you …i cannot wait him untill he write another poem..amazing..bye
19th May 2009 at 1:35 am
What a nice poem! When i read it I remember the lesson that I learned when I was a school girl, alesson about the discrimination between Black and White. It touch me. It makes us think about us. Have you ever looked down the poor, HIV patients, Black even one time? Waiting for nice poems from this smart child.
26th May 2009 at 10:11 am
this chid wants to give us love,he wants that our world be full of love and humanity,we should believe in these ,
a good lesson from a child
27th May 2009 at 6:53 pm
It is a great truth. It is beatifull poem.I loved it….
9th June 2009 at 3:51 am
woozy.. amazingly wonderful poetry..
i write poem too. i hope we can share about poetry. your poetry so simply but hue yeah it’s nice to read and meaning
15th July 2009 at 6:28 am
White is a color.
If no color, either truly black (as good as blind) or transparent.
(BTW, america was not “discovered”. It was there before with natives.)
13th August 2009 at 5:32 am
great poem!!!!!!!!!!!
21st August 2009 at 9:37 am
A poem that has touch my heart. I want to translated this into the local language in Sri Lanka. Is this permissable. Further, I would like to know the name of the child so that I can give credit to him or her.
Please reply to: muzza@sltnet.lk
24th August 2009 at 10:07 pm
Amazing how hoaxes persist. If I told you it was written by a rich black republican, would your view of it change?
2nd September 2009 at 10:47 pm
When we read this words maybe we forget maybe we never forget the efforts in the world , and this the important point ” apartheid ” of color, nations or races, religions..ect. At all times we allege progress but we do not .
This feeling we share TOGETHER in all of the world ” human feelings ” , but if we cant expression we must do . Respect and affection each other .
* we: who have more or less resposibility .
10th September 2009 at 1:04 am
that poem is very impressive, i know what are you feel, but actually you must realize that the god create everything should have different function, and each function are needed, and we must realize that no body perfect, we need each other, and i hope you never to give up!!!!, let’s rebuild the new world
11th September 2009 at 10:27 am
That’s really amazing. The white people should uproot the idea that black people are different from them. All human beings are the same. The difference is a question of ethics and respect.
Stop being racist! Start to think that your discriminatory ideas cause much pain and suffering to others.
12th September 2009 at 5:57 am
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh u make me laugh it;s soo imazing boeam
as ones which in Arabic boeam .
if u wanna not call u black just join 2 my religion which is Islam <3
we have different colors and different languages but we have only one God
beace
25th September 2009 at 4:56 pm
great.. i am fascinated…
26th September 2009 at 9:39 pm
This poem is a tranlation into English of a famous poem by Leopopld Sédar Senghor , written in French , so sorry to disappoint you!
Here it goes :
Cher frère blanc,
Quand je suis né, j‘étais noir,
Quand j’ai grandi, j‘étais noir,
Quand je suis au soleil, je suis noir,
Quand je suis malade, je suis noir,
Quand je mourrai, je serai noir.
Tandis que toi, homme blanc,
Quand tu es né, tu étais rose,
Quand tu as grandi, tuétais blanc,
Quand tu vas au soleil, tu es rouge,
Quand tu as froid, tu es bleu,
Quand tu as peur, tu es vert,
Quand tu es malade, tu es jaune,
Quand tu mourras, tu seras gris.
Alors, de nous deux,
Qui est l’homme de couleur?
14th October 2009 at 10:13 pm
This Poetry is strong, very strong. It’s beautiful.I liked.
6th November 2009 at 6:43 am
Wat a gifted kids…… u said it all baby Africa
15th November 2009 at 3:40 pm
a kid with great talent. after growing up, he can become a leader who fight for their own rights. just like Martin Luther King.
6th December 2009 at 1:55 pm
I like!!!!!!…. It verry great…
21st December 2009 at 11:07 am
A powerful poem, and in the original version by Leopopld Sédar Senghor (thanks Muriel Henry!), very beautiful.
But let’s try a thought experiment. Imagine the same poem, only with the colours reversed and written by a white child. Imagine that the phrase “And you white people” was instead “And you black people.” What does it mean now?
“The white people should uproot the idea that black people are different from them.”
Yes, they should. But racism isn’t exclusive to white people.
9th March 2010 at 4:14 am
true true true.. I love it obamama! nonje hante be wat suh!
10th April 2010 at 6:45 pm
Can racial discrimination be so harmful that even little children suffer from as well as grown/mature people?
Until when humanity will keep suffering from such miseries.
16th May 2010 at 2:04 am
I was born pink but dont terin ren red I stay sam coler my mum theo chainges lick that My dad dosent eather
19th May 2010 at 5:22 pm
amazing poem….you fascinated me
thanxxx
21st July 2010 at 12:49 am
It’s a quote from Malcolm X and the real version is:
“When I was born, I was black. When I grow up, I’m black. When I’m ill, When I die, I’m black. But you - When you’re born, you’re pink. When you grow up, you’re white. When you’re ill, you’re green. When you go out in the sun, you go red. When you’re cold, you go blue. When you die, you’re purple. And you have the nerve to call me Colored?”
13th August 2010 at 11:50 am
I thing the kid is talented. Not only in looking the world but also in words!
16th December 2010 at 1:59 am
i am so love it, meaningfull,let us to wish for their freedom so touching in deep my heart. i hope God always keep them for anything.
31st December 2010 at 8:15 am
i first heard this poem my sophmore year in high school , that was 1997 , at a poem recital . And it has stuck with me ever since . It is the true essence of poetry , to make people feel something in just a few words . And sometimes the so obvious truth that is not realized until , unfortunately and shamefully , a child makes us aware of it .
29th January 2011 at 9:55 am
It’s a very impressive,i love it.
15th February 2011 at 12:25 am
As far as I’m concerned, this is not a poem of a child in 2006. I first encountered this poem about 13-14 years ago when I was in college in the US–that’s like year 1997 or so. I’m not a black but still it struck me so hard–this instantly became one of my favorite poems. I heard that it is written by Malcolm X and he died in 1965 so you can assume how old this poem is. I don’t know where this story of little African child is from, but no, it is not a work of a child unless the child plagiarized it.
COLOUR
-
When I was born, I was black.
When I grow up, I’m black.
When I’m ill, I’m black.
When I go out in the sun, I’m black.
When I’m cold, I’m black.
When I die, I’m black.
But you -
When you’re born, you’re pink.
When you grow up, you’re white.
When you’re ill, you’re green.
When you go out in the sun, you go red.
When you’re cold, you go blue.
When you die, you’re purple.
And you have the nerve to call me coloured?
1st March 2011 at 12:37 pm
Whoever has written it, i m sure he is black. And i think its a result of pain he would have gone through of being called black……. Very nice poem.
11th March 2011 at 7:15 am
nice peom
27th March 2011 at 2:47 am
Colored should be a meliorative word which means colorful in Chinese.In western culture it’s different.Everyone should be equal.Because we all are human beings, and why we deny that He is different ?
28th March 2011 at 8:12 pm
ass crazy!!! lmfao!!!
1st April 2011 at 5:04 am
whoever ,black ,white or other colour ,wrote this poem, is crying out his pain,bitterness and anger to the rest of the world. The point is what we all have done to make the world better after reading his poem?
27th April 2011 at 8:28 pm
Fantastic!
It’s a pretty nice chance to laugh at a silly face of the human race/
14th June 2011 at 7:55 am
I thinlk this poem has been written by a Black child who has been dicriminated.
11th November 2011 at 9:14 am
This poem, only using a few discriptive words, makes such an impact.
11th November 2011 at 10:16 am
P.S. I don’t care who the “POET” or how old he/she is, I Love it!
And to entry #39-Me Says, reversing the words
(the colors), would not have the same impact and most of all would not make any since. For example; If you reverse the words and make the author white, well, the white author would still be pink, white, green, red, blue, purple. As you know, Black is Black is Black. It’s a little special ingredient called, melanin. The poet simply stated facts. . .that seem to offend you. You’re right, racism is not exclusive to white people but most of them are just such experts at it. You would think. . .they invevted it
20th February 2012 at 3:02 am
He is new DR Alban I tnink =)
25th March 2012 at 12:47 am
pilgrims+ native Americans= genocide
isrea
Is+Palestinians =apartheid
25th March 2012 at 12:51 am
I first read thi saying whenitwas handed to me by a friend of who was a person of color
15th July 2012 at 5:49 pm
I think this poem is racist! BTW, the “African child” who made this is Malcolm X
26th September 2012 at 1:46 pm
i love it, because it is so straight forward and true so if anyone tries to call me colored i will say this poem and smile.
15th November 2012 at 7:43 am
Simple words, though meaningful! Short poem, though powerful!I like it.
28th December 2012 at 3:41 pm
This piece made me laugh, not in a bad way. Like others said, yes it is powerful, amazing way of putting discrimination in words.
4th February 2013 at 8:53 am
What’s important, it’s who wrote it and why…