A Black Girl’s Poem

    My afro, it’s unappreciated
    My color, overlooked by others
    When “I” am assertive I am an angry black woman
    Yet if “I” am nice, “I” don’t act black enough 
    
    “They” say my skin is too dark
    “They” prefer a skinnier girl
    “They” say I am too qualified for the job 
    “They” want a different look for their brand 

But when “I” look in the mirror 
    “I” am the only person “I” see
    “I” can see that young black girl
    That sits with her brown barbies in her backyard

    Or that sits down on a pillow 
    As her mother combs out her underappreciated afro
    As she sees other black women on a tv screen 
    And she imagines standing with them when she grows up

To be that little girl once again
To not know the struggle that the world has prepared
To not know she will overcome everything life throws
To not need anything but her brown barbies

That young child staring back at me 
With her intense brown eyes
I see a beautiful brown queen staring at me 
And no matter what “they” say “I” am me

Because in the end, I always say
Who are “They” to me when “I” am the one living my life