The Corner

“Skin” written and performed by @prettyytokyo

Skin

I used to hate being black sometimes. This is why.

I’m gonna start now:

Dipped in honey & coated with flowers let the bees envy me,

Young males calling females bitches when really I’m a queen,

Real negus with attitude s/o to Kendrick Lamar,

Deriving from Egyptian ancestry white folks hate we spit it in every bar.

They got red girls, light skin girls trying to identify which one is me,

Only to look in the mirror & realize I’m still black… as can be,

I am not the person built from society but I am what I am in my skin as you can see.

So let the color of your skin glow in the sun sweet Queens.

The darker the berry the sweeter the juice,

Got the heart of a lion from the strength of my roots,

I’m lightskin for a reason,

Ancestors from the Europeans but if I say it out loud

Well, you’d probably think I’m tweakin,

Lightskin: is a term to identify a person with lighter skin,

Probably had an ancestor raped on a plantation & now that’s the color of my melanin.

Melanin: the pigment I’m actually sort of lacking, the darkness of my skin tone

Moms is a little darker so when the boys see me they’re actually complimenting me AND my Father.

“That’s what’s up tho”

But if I was darker I wouldn’t be as “pretty”.

Doesn’t make sense but I’ll let it slide towards the ending.

Dark skin: is from being rich with eumelanin.

Then you singing “I ain’t got no type”

How??? You told me you only like lightskin girls? What’s that shit you smoking ?

Eu (yoo) means “good” right? So how come when you mention my features I get reduced to this stereotype?

Look. I understand this is what you like & what you like it’s not my opinion.

I just find it odd you ain’t got a type when clearly that is… By definition.

I just find it odd you’re putting your fellow sisters of color down in the process.

Looking for a girl the same complexion as Jada Pinkett, She gotta have green eyes & natural CURLY hair, With a fat ass you can see jiggle in that sundress.

It’s sad to see, That within the black community, There’s this dissatisfaction with the color of the skin tone.

You’re not loving your black women but the ones that’ll make your babies so cute.

I wonder who taught you that, I like girls too but you don’t see me only raving for the red bones.

Yunno, my mom is the same color of Miss Nina Simone & for reasons I don’t understand she’d ask me if I was having sex to “Not, bring any black ass babies home”

Crazy huh…

I’m lighter in complexion, My hair is a little kinky, I don’t have a butt, Shit I barely got titties.

I’m actually glad that what I’m lacking physically isn’t the reason why my man wants to freak me.

Off topic;

Last time I checked whether you was Lightskin or Darkskin you were still BLACK baby girl

and you’re beautiful…

Don’t let them make you feel like the color of your skin is flawed,

It makes me uncomfortable to know that not only my brothers have this mindset but my sisters have it too,

But it doesn’t change the fact there’s self hate all in their blood boo.

SO YOU MEAN TO TELL ME JUST BECAUSE IM LIGHTER IM PRETTIER THAN YOU?

Bitch PLEASE remember the Blacker the berry the sweeter the juice,

Wait wait…SO YOU MEAN TO TELL ME DARKER IS BETTER RIGHT?

Girl… PLEASE it doesn’t matter whether you’re dark or light!

See, one day you’ll open your 3rd eye & it’ll be revealed that none of this matters except for the beauty of personality.,

See my kids will be black until the universe swallows me.

Not lightskin or Darkskin.

They will be proud to be black cause I won’t teach them to hate the color of their complexion

Nor will I allow them to sit still while others are being passive aggressive.

My love for black people will linger throughout my timeline of life …its entirety.

So whether I’m “light and bright” or “dark as night” or that other stuff in between, recognize I’m still BLACK so please…. step away with that NEGATIVITY.

Why I had to be the one with the shattered heart with duck tape & staples. Yet. Still believing I’m gonna be the world to someone.

Why’d I have to be the one filled with so much love yet so much hate able to refrain from crying myself to sleep.

I had to be the one so strong only I could lift myself off my feet.

Why did it take a broken heart for me to understand my worth and add taxes to it.

I ask myself “why” all the time.

I ask myself so many questions throughout the day but it’s not minds fault that’s just how I operate.

I often wonder if love is really real or is this just a foolish game all the cool kids like to play.

And yes it has it’s ups and downs but I still play to win, Giving up was never my forte I’m just so used to giving in.

Truth be told yes I’m still scared of love but I urge to feel the joy from it, The excitement of knowing someone is just as crazy about you than you are to them.

Sometimes it has its dead end streets, Sometimes a highway that lasts long enough to reach the stars in space.

I ask myself “why does love effect me differently than persons in a different way”

Some people just don’t care about it because they believe it is untrue.

But there’s truth in the words they say “when you know you just know”

I found love in a place I’d never thought I could reach.

I want to find love again in places no one can beseech.

The only thing I fear of love is loving someone else again who doesn’t love me back,

And even tho it hurt me most I’ll still love love back,

Never give up on love is what I’ll tell myself everyday, Because you never know when love when show and change your every way…

I’ll be here waiting for love to show its face again…

and even if it doesn’t I’ll love myself until love plays in my heart and wins.

@prettyytokyo