Lower Standards

All my life I was told that I was pretty and I loved it. Now when I am told I am pretty, people add, “For a black girl” This was something I did not get Did the color of my skin bring restrictions? Was I restricted in the amount of beauty that I could have? All my life I was told that I was smart; this meant the world to me. Now when I am told I am smart people add, “For a black girl” This was something I could not see Did the color of my skin bring restrictions? Was I restricted in the amount of intelligence I could have? Why do I have to be pretty just to the standards of a black girl ? When placed next to any other female Do we not both have feminine features in our face? Face shape, eye, cheekbone, lips Do we not both have the feminine features in our bodies? Chest, waist, thighs, behind Where is the difference in the scale? which you determine beauty by ethnicity Why do I have to be smart just to the standards of a black girl? When tested with the someone other than an African Is it not possible for our scores to be the same? Same questions, same answers Does it not reflect our knowledge the same? 12 years of school, same subjects Where is the difference in the scale; which you determine intelligence by ethnicity Why is it that your compliment brings me pain “For a black girl” the message which contains that I am not on the same level as you As if I do not bleed like you do or cry like you do As if I am not just like you