Melanin

To my brothers and sisters with that beautiful melanin flowing through their veins:

            I know you’re tired. I feel it. I turn on the news and I am exasperated.

            But you know what else I feel? I feel joyous. I feel grateful, in spite of my exasperation.

            I feel grateful because I am writing this so that I might win a scholarship so that I might pay for college.

 I feel so extremely grateful because for my ancestors who faced the double edged sword of being female and black, college was just another word in the dictionary that they had to teach themselves how to read because no one thought they were worthy of even a basic fundamental education.

I know they would be proud of me, of us. That makes me happy. That is awesome.

In spite of my exasperation, I choose to focus on the silver linings that are all around me. Won’t you do the same?

It’s a beautiful world out there inhabited by beautiful individuals of all various ethnicities.

Because under all of this melanin (or lack thereof) we are all the same.

We are all the same.

One race.

The human race.

That makes me happy. That is awesome.

Despite the racial tension that is spreading our beloved nation extremely thin in these often dark times, I know that brighter days are ahead. Every day, we as a people are learning and growing from our mistakes and I believe that this will lead to only positive change.

If that doesn’t make you happy and give you hope, I don’t know what will.

So don’t be ashamed of your melanin-infused complexion because of the negativity that the media is spewing out.

Embrace it. We must first love ourselves.

That’s the only way anyone else will. 

This poem is about: 
Me
My family
My community
My country
Our world
Poetry Terms Demonstrated: 

Comments

Additional Resources

Get AI Feedback on your poem

Interested in feedback on your poem? Try our AI Feedback tool.
 

 

If You Need Support

If you ever need help or support, we trust CrisisTextline.org for people dealing with depression. Text HOME to 741741