"You're pretty, for a black girl"
Oh really?
Well, Fuck you.
Fuck you and your sorry, ass-backward,
"You're pretty, for a black girl"
Or
"You're pretty, to be dark-skinned",
complimentsWhy must my pumpernickel flesh be a curse?
Why is my beauty defined by my skin?
And why is my beauty being lessened?
Because my melanin is of a higher content?"Why are you mad? I said you're pretty, for a black girl."
NO!
I'm goddammit beautiful
This gorgeous chocolate skin God draped me in
This "Devils food cake batter" brown skin my ancestors passed down to meAnd I will not let you demean my glory
You can't make me ashamed because my beauty comes in a darker shadeI will dance in the sun like my ancestors did
Like a piece of licorice,
People find my skin hard to swallow
And before I knew blackberries were sweeter
I thought my melanin was a bitter reminder that I was only pretty "enough" because I'm still a black girl with dark- skinBut no longer with those backward ass compliments be sufficient or tolerated
This dark and lovely skin I'm in is not a sin
And it won't be your fetish
Won't be something you had to try
And it damn sure won't be my curseIt is not an anchor
Holding me down in a sea of low self esteem
Because my dark skin,
Is a direct line to royalty
Dating back to Queen Nefertiti herselfI
AM
BEAUTIFULWE
ARE
BEAUTIFULBlack girls,
My sweet, chocolate sistas
You're not defined by your skin
But I know it's what the world sees first
And every ounce of melanin,
Every inch of of you,
Every shade,
Is a beautiful wrapping to the beauty trapped within you
Because our beauty shines from with inBlack girls,
My blackberries,
Mocha colored,
Dark skin,
Pumpernickel,
Licorice,
With skin deeper than unsweetened coffee,
Sometimes toffee,
Caramel,
Or thick sweet molassesOur flavor,
Is ALWAYS sweet
And you are wine fine
Glasses of merlotWear your dark skin as you would a crown
Love it and love you
Earthy brown skin
Mother Nature birthed you
Our dark skin is not a curse
Or a burden
It is a BIRTHRIGHT
It is a BIRTHRIGHT
It is a BIRTHRIGHTDark-skinned girls,
You're beautiful,
No matter what they say...