I Could Never Understand//Because of My Curls

My curls showed my story

I was never a mixed child

But my skin was lighter than the rest of the girls

And my curls couldn’t shine brighter

They’d get on my nerves

They’d tangle and break

Just like every other girl

And yet I continued to feel the hate

I could never understand

How the same black people

That wanted to seek empowerement 

Continued to bring me down

Because my family had a heritage that kept continuous frowns

On the faces of the other girls

I could never understand how
She’s pretty for a “mixed” girl

That’s what was said

With their opinions against mine

I took it with regret

How dare they say that

How dare they agree

That just because of my light skin

I was excluded from my own community