Throughout “Facing It,” there are multiple contrasting metaphors that run parallel to each other. The speaker says, “I am a stone. I am flesh” (l.5), which is a contradiction. Stone is expressionless, unfeeling, and immobile, while flesh is weak, full of life and expression, and decays over time. The division between these two physical properties is used to highlight the differences between skin color and racism. By comparing the two, Komunyakaa manages to remove the barrier that separates them. The speaker also says that his reflection is "like a bird of prey, the profile of the night/leaning towards the morning" (l.7-8.) Night can be associated with black, while morning can be linked to light and white. This creates a direct parallelism between African Americans and Caucasians and serves to accentuate the similarities between the races. Each side is part night and day. Both together are necessary for all natural processes of the