Black Woman
I am black woman
I am brown
Brown, dirt is brown
They think I am dirt, dust
They clean me out from underneath their fingernails
Wrinkle their noses in disgust
But no, I am brown
Brown, black soil, fertile
I am soil
I am your roots
Without me no trees
No oxygen for you to breathe
No plants
As they get their green from me
Pretty for a black girl
Pretty for a dark skinned girl
Oh you don’t act black
You’re smart, and quiet, and ghetto
Black girl, sassy
Black girl, loud
Black girl, weave, food stamps
Black girl, baby mama drama
Black girl, no one wants to date
I heard a rumor that the Weeknd tells the bouncers not to let in black girls at certain shows
How can I help but not be offended?
As if there is something wrong with black girls in particular
Don’t tell me its preference
Don’t compare it to gender
Don’t tell me to be less sensitive
Don’t pretend you wouldn’t feel some type of way
Yes, I feel some type of way
When they measure my worth based on Eurocentric standards
Can’t you see my look is authentic, original
But they want copies, And I refuse to give them those views
My worth is not in my appearance
But if you want to get technical
Melanin is worth 384 dollars a gram
I’m valuable even if you don’t see it
Even if you ignore it
But how can you ignore such beauty, such grace
Get out my face with that anti-blackness
Can’t you see you’ve been brainwashed
I want to wash my hands of the times
I’ve wanted to change the texture of my hair, the shape of my body, or the color of my skin
I’ve thought to myself would I get noticed more if I was white or Hispanic or light skinned
Would my presence be more appreciated if my look was more marketable, if my mind was less strong, if
my voice more faint
I just want to fly
To be free of stereotypes
Free of stares, looks,
Free to be black
Black girl, unfiltered
Black girl, unique
I want wings
Massive wings
Wings big enough to swallow oppression
Swallow depression
Swallow pent up aggression
I long to be a part of the sky
Black girl fly
In the night
Fly, Fly
Black girl fly
Scenarious, 18, attends Georgia State University and shared this piece at the Decatur Book Festival poetry slam, co-hosted by VOX/Atlanta Word Works and Verbaleyze.
