"Oh my gosh you’re sooo sassy” should be tattooed on my forehead
If I had a dime
For every time
I spoke my mind
With confidence
With intelligence
And with certainty
And in the end
Was reminded
That I was sassy
Then I wouldn’t be complaining
About how my ideas are always seen as whining
Because my skin is dark
My hair grows up
And I’m an “independent woman who don’t need know man”
Because, that’s all I am, right?
Just another caricature
Just another stereotype
Just another black girl here for your amusement
To roll her neck
Swivel her hips
And swing her finger
And God forbid I’m passionate
Oh I’m sorry, I mean angry
Because black women are always angry, right?
We’re always trying to pick up a fight?
Sucking our teeth and swinging our weave?
Clapping our syllables, because that’s all we do, RIGHT?
And don’t forget ratchet!
Welfare queen
Ghetto
Sketchy
Loud
Gosh! So many things I have to be at once
When I’m not being any of them at all
And yet someone how
When I’m still meeting all of your
Stupid
Eurocentric
Misogynistic
Standards
I still manage to be “sassy” when I have something to say
So back to my dime theory
If I had a dime
For every time
I was called sassy
When I spoke my mind
Maybe I would have just enough dimes
To bleach my skin white
And make you see me
As an actual human being