Black or white, Fair or lovely-
This is what Iโm not.
Wheatish, dusky, sulky-bulky,
This is what Iโm called.
Iโm brown.
Iโm those shades between
Your creamy iced lattรฉ and hot dark expresso.
Iโm a blend of that, that goes into making-
White sweet milk and black bitter coffee.
Iโm not the white sugar
That Iโd lose myself and dissolve.
But Iโm that chocolate-
the flavour of the cocoa beans, that lingers on.
Iโm not bashful, just brown.
Iโm not the dreams you sell,
catering to my insecurities.
Iโm not the shameful lotions and creams
that line my bathroom shelf.
Iโm the excess melanin
that I produce,
Iโm the courage it takes
to be a mix of two.
Iโm the brave brown.
Iโm not you telling me,
Iโll never have a lover.
Iโm the caramel gazing at the mirror,
The witty walnut who isnโt seeking approval.
Iโm more than just a random
interplay of 378 genes.
Iโm what lies underneath my layers,
Iโm my voice, my knowledge, my culture.
But, Iโll always be me-
Be brown.
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