122
heroica
To Be a Woman and Black BY A RT I ST N A M E D N O B O DY
To be a woman and black Is to be not ‘woman’ enough for beauty And too black for feminism
To be a woman and black Is to walk with your head low Because no man Wants to see your face Unless it’s been caked with powder Burned with bleach And scarred with erased beauty To be a woman and black Is to be deemed a melanated queen online With pictures that make you gasp in awe Of the beauty that is black women Until you look in the comments section And see nothing but vile comparisons of such beauty To roaches. She’s dirty. Bet she’s bald under that weave. Look at this bitch, this hoe, this groupie! Would you say that to your mother?
To be a woman and black Is to be political From the moment you are expelled into the world Your beauty Your worth Your pride Is no longer yours Your afro is intimidating Your fashion is unwillingness to conform Your anger at injustice is offensive
To be a woman and black Is to feel shame Your hair is appreciated on no other day than October 31st Your skin is belittled as a marketing tool for makeup brands Your lips are sewn shut by those who turn to fatten theirs behind your back Your eyes are blinded by hues of green and blue That outshine your dull coloured Muddy Mocha Disgrace.
