I was 13.

Looking in the mirror,

It never dawned to me why,

Why the window between my teeth,

The disproportionate nose,

The “five-head”,

Too sufficient for just a bang,

Not brown

But black-skinned face

Wasn’t seen as beautiful.

Girls getting the

“She fine”,

And “Hot damn”.

Countless “Lemme hit that,”

Endless “She bad”

Why did SHE get the hall pass for

 ‘Too-bad-for-her-own-good’?

These

Voted beauty queen,

Long hair don’t care,

Baby-hair edged,

Extra out the ordinary,

Diluted,

But fair-skinned,

Never purchased,

Rather,

Natural hour glass without a doubt

Females

How typical.

All I ever gotten was,

Well,

No words that were worth

Framing a picture

That was pleasant to the ears

Of any Man.

People would murmur

‘Black’,

‘Dark-skinned’,

And a name that hit close to home,

‘Midnight’.

They made me appear

UGLY.

Others wouldn’t understand why this

Dreamer who had no end,

Spiritually inclined artist,

Not a goody-good,

But, just below the mark

Dancer

With an image of academic confidence,

Cultural influence and expression,

That carried an ‘over-achiever’ reputation

Wanted to be recognized for what she is

And not what she wasn’t.

How I imagined this would be different.

Comforted by a house of acceptance,

Ended by a walk into a society

That neglected difference.

Some call it hate,

I’d rather call it hurt.

Hurt that the ancestry that marked my existence

Wasn’t beautiful enough for you.

Hurt that your face and my face

Couldn’t co-exist.

I wasn’t made to be told of a visual flaw

That never existed,

Why don’t you understand that?

I refuse to be blinded by this

Ignorance that entertains your words.

I refuse to be your shadow to your

‘Typical’ beauty people are accustomed to.

 

Now I’m 23.

Who would have known

That window-tooth,

Disproportionate nose,

 ‘Five-head’,

Too sufficient for just a bang,

Not brown

But black-skinned girl

Would be praised for their color?

No one.

Now they say

Chocolate is the “new thing,”

Things like

 “The sweeter the berry, the blacker the juice”

Or

 “You’re cute, for a dark-skin girl”

As if it were a trend.

All this time you’ve learned nothing.

Relentless.

I laugh at your stupidty.

Ignorance is bliss you say,

And yet,

Beauty is still seen as nothing more than a

Color?

I must say,

I fail to understand your ignorance

No need to waste time,

So let me educate you.

I am a successor

Bound for greatness.

A common name,

But a rare beauty.

A rare beauty that has no limitations.

A representation of heritage,

History,

Gifts,

And Life.

A rare beauty that is a

Reminder of what I am

And what you’re not.

And yes,

Black.

Born of African Natives,

Empowered by culture and distinction.

Needless to say,

Within those shallow eyes of yours

You’ve failed to remember that

I am a human being.

‘Typical’ beauty fades with the season.

A rare beauty is eternal,

One I possess.

The black-skinned face

Behind the mirror

Responded with a smile.

My black is beauty.