Blogs

Without Commercials by: Alice Walker

Without Commercials

By: Alice Walker ⓒ

Listen,

stop tanning yourself

and talking about

fishbelly

white.

The color white

is not bad at all.

There are white mornings

that bring us days.

Or, if you must,

tan only because

it makes you happy

to be brown,

to be able to see

for a summer

the whole world's

darker

face

reflected

in your own.

★

Stop unfolding

your eyes.

Your eyes are

beautiful.

Sometimes

seeing you in the street

the fold zany

and unexpected

I want to kiss

them

and usually

it is only

old

gorgeous

black people's eyes

I want

to kiss.

★★

Stop trimming

your nose.

When you

diminish

your nose

your songs

become little

tinny, muted

and snub.

Better you should

have a nose

impertinent

as a flower,

sensitive

as a root;

wise, elegant,

serious and deep.

A nose that

sniffs

the essence

of Earth. And knows

the message

of every

leaf.

★★★

Stop bleaching

your skin

and talking

about

so much black

is not beautiful

The color black

is not bad

at all.

There are black nights

that rock

us

in dreams.

Or, if you must,

bleach only

because it please you

to be brown,

to be able to see

for as long

as you can bear it

the whole world's

lighter face

reflected

in your own.

★★★★

As for me,

I have learned

to worship

the sun

again.

To affirm

the adventures

of hair.

For we are all

splendid

descendants

of Wilderness,

Eden:

needing only

to see

each other

without

commercials

to believe.

Copied skillfully

as Adam.

Original

as Eve.