BEAUTIFUL
Dark and dull,
Who said you weren’t?
To me, your face is smeared with ignorance.
To me, she is as beautiful as the night tulip. I
see her face down,
When you are calling her names,
The lips between her teeth,
And toes tight with shame.
I look at her and see her beguiling face,
But mama says,
White is beautiful,
and so are you.
If you brought in a girl like her to this world,
Would you call her the same?
For centuries,
We have been playing this wicked game.
Her olive skin shines at dawn,
And at dusk,
a golden brown.
Who do you think you are?
To distinguish right from wrong.
Each skin is beautiful,
And so are you,
If you let down your guard,
and change your view.
R. ALSHERIN
13