The Cancelling of Dr. Seuss

The Cancelling of Dr. Seuss
by Anthony Baker

I’ve got a cool hat,
I’ve got quite a few.
A red one, a gray one.
Even one that is blue.

I love my cool hat,
I wear it day and night.
Almost every time you see me
It’s never out of sight.

I’m a cool cat.
I’ve got a cool hat.
It’s not a ball bat.
It’s not a rat-tat-tat.

I’ve just got a hat
A pretty cool hat.
Oh, and gloves!
Forgot to mention that!

I’m a cool black cat.
Wait, what did I just say?
“I’m a cool black cat”?
Isn’t that a little ray ray?

I must think this through
Think through this I can.
I will rest my black face
On my white-gloved cat hand.

I have a cool hat.
I have white gloves.
I’m black and make rhymes
That everyone loves.

I’m black and I rhyme.
Black with a white face.
OOOOOOOHHHH, I get it!
It’s all about RACE!

I have a cool hat,
White gloves, and I rhyme,
But because of my color,
My books are a crime.

So, forget what I do,
Forget what I write.
Forget all the the children
My stories put to bed at night.

I happen to be a cat
Who’s black with a face
That happens to be white,
So there’s no safe space.

My hat, my face, my paws
Will be cancelled just because
The ones clearing the shelves
Are racists, themselves.