the congratulations
about speaking up
against racist microaggressions
is not “you did it, what a good ally you are!”

it’s “you said more than you would have in the past,
and the world didn’t end
and you didn’t get in a shouting match
nor were you physically assaulted,
so maybe, next time, you can say two things”

because
the bad feelings after the interaction
were not “you said something, and something went wrong”
it’s “you regret not saying more”

and perhaps, after that, you now have the tools
to say more
in the future

[and for any white folks out there
looking to get “dreads”,
just know that locs or dreadlocks are the actual terms
and they are not a hairstyle for you.
period.]