Menagerie

By Elizabeth Guzman

It was a menagerie 

A spectacle 

Looked down upon and viewed as entertainment

Shunned as outcasts 

Called upon when needed, yet never truly wanted 

Used for labor and statistics 

Openly modeled to achieve a diversity quota 

Viewed as “disappointments” one day, “prodigies” the next

Only beloved when complacent, chastised for a tone shift or a mistake 

Put in a corner and detained unless deemed worthy because of a number 

Overworked subordinates only seeking freedom from the chains of ignorance, privilege, and bias