TRUE ARTISTE BLOOM | OCT 2017 | Page 14

Timeless Beauty

When I was younger

I used to beg my mom

To straighten my hair

To make it look "beautiful"

The images of perfection

Embedded in my brain

From the Barbie Dolls I used to buy

From the TV shows I used to watch

"Slim Straight" was labeled as the "in"

From the friends I used to have

My mom sat me down and told me

"Child do not be so easily led to your chains"

The seasons of adolescence

I grew and as I changed the world changed too

Images of melanin plastered all over the billboards

Thick thighs and round behinds

Became the images of "style"

People forgot why Rosa sat on the bus

Why Davis held her fist high

Why the female Moses led her flock from a modern Egypt

Essence of the black woman was

forgotten and handed to

The Chains of Objectivity

Young girls stopped admiring the strength of their African mothers but looked instead to the lower expectations of Hollywood hills

Limelight

Brilliant submissions from up and coming artistes from all over the world. Learn and be inspired