My Skin, is

By: Shanice Green

My skin, is

too dark to be seen, but not too dark- not to be missed

 

only considered a good thing when-

 

it is doing a “good thing” like-

 

going to school or driving the speed limit-

 

to a job I have held longer than the last six months

My skin, my skin, is a sore thumb-

sticks out on paper from the Jessicas-

 

the Carys-

 

the Wendys-

 

long before I step into the room

 

their eyeballs etching confusion deep into my skin

My skin- my skin

like, are you in the right place?

 

did you make the right turn?

 

the Cosmetology Department is at the other campus.

 

 My skin- my skin- my skin- my skin-

is what separates me from you

 

it is the reason I avoid certain streets- subconsciously-

 

praying to my God that the cop car following behind me-

 

for the last seven blocks-

 

is a man or woman who shares, my skin

 

My skin, my skin, is ugly!

 

or at least that is what I would think when my mother would try to buy me-

 

a black Barbie-

 

that was supposed to be-

 

the same as the white one-

 

except with fewer accessories-

 

most of which-

 

was “sold separately” – which meant

 

that she would have to spend twice as much money to equal what the white doll had-

 

for the low, low price of $19.95

 

but the sign on the shelf read – “Rollback Special”

 

so in essence, it would have cost $10 more?

 

too much math- she’d just settle and buy  me the white one

 My skin- my skin- my skin

is confused!

 

all of these white celebrities in the news

 

The Angelina Jolies

 

The Kim Kardashians, and her sister-

 

and her sister’s sister-

 

and her sister’s

 

sister’s sister-

 

and her sister’s

 

sister’s sister-

 

and their mother-

 

and their father-

 

all paying good money to be “bronzed” or “blackenized”-

 

as people of my skin would put it-

 

adopting and birthing black babies is probably the trendiest way of saying-

 

I am not a racist

 

My skin- my skin-

my skin, my skin- my skin-

 

is tired.