Brown Boy

Being a lighter skinned brown boy has pros and cons.
Especially when living in a country where most ex cons
Are of a darker skin tone.
Raised in a city where the city was divvied up by ethnicity and park.
Where neighborhoods were known for the culture that lived there. 
Grew up loving flights and hating airports.
An Egyptian man,
With or without facial hair
Stopped at security more often than not.
But once out of the airport, 
Being looked at in most places like a local,
Spoken to in Spanish, Italian, Pidgin, as well as Arabic.
Been asked if I was from most countries with brown skinned natives,
But never expected to be from Egypt or the middle east because of my green eyes.
A visit to my sister's job did the impossible!
I went from understanding the problem of my darker skinned friends and family,
To knowing it like I had never known it before outside of an airport.
Got looks that could only be described as petrified.
HOW DARE A BROWN SKINNED TATTOOED MAN BE IN OUR BUILDING!?
I spent the entire 2 hour visit waiting for security to be called.
Ready to defend myself at the drop of a hat,
my sister being in the room right next to me employed by said company.
The lack of malice was palpable from them,
Yet the looks offered up could only be described to my sister as,
"If I had eaten their child!"
or
"As though I killed their dog intentionally for fun!"
Felt small knives of fear in my heart.
Being a three hundred pound man,
Trying to become as small as a black ant on black flooring.
Only seen with flashlights and the right angles of sight.
Acting smaller than I've ever thought I could.
Felt cold tentacles wrap around my body,
Pulling me deeper into an unlivable land.
The anxiety that wrapped me tighter than a wrestling outfit.
Rare occasion for me to say the least,
But let's be real.
The realness of that reality hasn't left my mind since then.
Based on one day's worth of interactions.
My mental self is now scared of interacting.
The story of a lighter skinned Brown Boy's interaction with reality.