I didn’t choose to look this way

And everything around me tells me I shouldn’t want to

From the make-up aisle with foundation never quite dark enough

To the front pages of magazines that scream out

“White is BEAUTIFUL!”

But my skin…

Is on the opposite side of the spectrum

Carries my history

Tells a story, see

Dark, is a signal for ready

When searching through a patch of berries a phrase rings in your subconscious,

“The darker the berry, the sweeter the juice”

Darkness means having to wait for something good

Patience and perseverance

Wrapped up in the chemical composition of melanin

Imbedded in my skin.

So when I walk down that aisle of cosmetics

Created for someone other than me,

When the comment made by an ignorant fourth grade boy rings in my ears

(“You’re straight up BLACK.”),

When prospective students visit my school at open houses

And the stares of their parents ask, “Why is SHE here?”

I keep walking

‘Cause this dark skin of mine,

It’s sweet

Juxtaposed with any color of the rainbow it shines

It is a symbol of the resilience of my ancestors

It is the one thing I will always have

And it’s the one thing that continually teaches me to love myself,

Even if no one else will.

So keep the make-up that doesn’t fit my skin tone

I don’t need it anymore

‘Cause I’ve realized that this dark, velvety skin of mine,

It’s sweet enough on its own