Skin I'm In
I have lightly toasted caramel skin
I have partially nappy sandy blonde hair
My eyes are almond shaped, my lips full and my bosom bold
I am not a hanger walking down someone elses catwalk
I walk more fiercely than the King of the Forest down every walkway
I am hips and thighs
that don’t discriminate against pies
I am soul food’s #1 fan but
I do the best I can, no lies
I am not a dry-celery-munching, hungry Monica
I am a stretch-mark-having, fried-chicken-and-waffle-loving Latifah comma Queen
Yes, I exercise;
That’s why I’m curvy and fit
Skinny girls can poke fun but I know my God made me perfect
I know these girls aren’t spiritually strong enough
to walk around with all these fluffy curves
They simply can’t handle it
Even with cellulite, I can still sit in my split
My weight cannot weigh me down
and my frown will be forever upside down
This thick skin I’m in is not a burden
It is tough and durable,
its fabulous strength incurable
I couldn’t before but now I can laugh
because I can run a 5K marathon
and still have enough energy to eat my fried Twinkie proudly
I can go shopping
for my next few outfits to the gym
while sporting cinnamon dough balls from Pretzel Time
Please, who’s got the time to count calories and
think of how perfect
I’m not,
when I could be eating my butter pecan ice cream
thinking how perfect this moment is?
I don’t need to be small enough
to fit through a doggy door like everyone else
I am unique with every switch of my hips,
from top to bottom,
down to my toe and fingertips
I don’t fit one half of my body
into a size 2, but that
sounds more like a personal problem
for you, Boo-Boo!
I don’t have a weight problem;
I’m not obese
But if you have a problem with my weight,
your opinion doesn’t matter
in the least
So peace, Northface fleece and hair grease
because my stretch-marked love cushions
are leaving you behind
with simple narrow-minded prejudices
When I go back home to the Motherland
to claim my queenly throne,
All you super models can sit back
and watch in envy
until the vultures pick your bones
Maya Angelou said it best about
being a woman phenomenally;
and when I look in the mirror,
that’s exactly what I see…