A Letter to My Sisters
Zoe Gibson
Dear Sisters,
You need to understand that you are the blueprint to society.
To life itself.
From Cleopatra to Marsha P. Johnson.
You are original.
You need to know that you are beautiful.
Yet, we are told to believe we must straighten our curls.
We are told to make our noses smaller.
Make our skin synonymous with theirs.
We need to fit into the size the world told us to fit into.
Fit into the size the white man tells us to.
Why? So we can look like their sisters?
Still, our curves are appealing to the white man.
Off your luscious curls, they profit.
Our melanated skin they want. Going to lengths to get it,
yet can now make our white sisters look like us,
making us look like them.
Beating our confidence.
Marketing it as empowerment for all?
Picking and choosing the features they find acceptable,
of course… The White Man’s Money…
My sisters, you don't need to give
the white man your money.
You don't need to look like their sisters or wives.
They don’t need to look like you.
Because you are the blueprint.