An Apology to My Red Baseball Hat

You sit neglected,
like the last kid to be 
picked at recess,

A flaw in yourself
you can’t comprehend, 
one that wasn’t noticed before

Leaving only distant memories
of what it felt to be perched
proudly, frequently, on my head

Now you find yourself 
smothered under others,
whose place atop the coat rack 
ensure you won’t be tonight’s choice 

How could you understand that,
through no fault of your own,
someone could make an entire color of hat
stand for hatred and intolerance
and leave you buried,
like humanity, 
in a shadow of darkness,
wondering if you will ever again 
see the light

written May 27, 2020