That Black Girl

She’s not just a black girl. She’s a precious stone, carved from the waste of an empress’ diamond case. Her voice priceless. Soft yet sweet like a velvet quill wrapped in lace and coated in a nectar like embrace. She’s not just a black girl. But now her value has been stolen, she’s been made to believe that her worth is as a worthless as a bar of Nivea soap left second place, hidden underneath the countless bars of brass glazed antelopes, only worth 99p but yet, she stops to admit that is what she is. I am an object of desire, woven into the cracks and creases of a detrimental liar. I am put on display day after day by society’s definition of perfection and beauty. Yet I do not conform. I prolong the stares and cries piercing me, I am worn out – thrown out, like a broken thorn worn out, I am that thorn, unwanted, disliked. I am judged, disregarded. My face tells a story. Broken in the middle, suffocated in the silk of a privileged society, no – under privileged, because the fact is simple, easy to comprehend I am rich! Not by the clothes I wear, or the products I use to tame my nappy hair, the wealth I have exceeds the definition of prosperity. I evolved from austerity, the words I say need no clarity I am a queen. Born from the Nubian line of royalty! I am not a deformity, polluting the humanity of society! My roots entwine with my individuality, making me as strong and mighty as the revolutionary Queen Nefertiti. My hair tells a story. That black girl craves for the yearning of the burning acceptance she wishes to have, not because she is different but because society continues to play on her mind, the repeating sound of the conditioned chime of the rhyme which penetrates her eyes making her blind. Her reflection – a joke! She can’t cope, strangled by the unrealistic expectations of humanity weighing her down. But arise. She stands. That black girl releases the shackles that once chained her down – no longer bound. She’s not just a black girl! I am not just a black girl! I am strong, empowered, determined, unburdened by the shadow of a state clouded my hate. I am a powerhouse! Built with indestructible marble, fireproof! I am flames of fire, I keep on burning brighter and brighter! Unquenchable. I am bound by no one, restricted by no one, afflicted by no one! I am not just a black girl, I am that black girl!

#poetry #culture #blackhistorymonth #spokenword #acceptance