my tanned skin

(1) growing up in the south, i wished i was lighter (2) long silky blonde hair that felt like a light i thought i had to reach (3) styles that felt like they belonged to someone else, not me (4) i wished taking care of my hair wasn’t something to fear in someone else’s stare (5) i am a little black girl, struggling to embrace my grace (6) i watched little girls who seemed to have the world in their hands as if it never felt heavy on them (7) like everything i was reaching for was already resting in the palms of their hands (8) light skin, long silky blonde hair, blue eyes like a model out of a magazine (9) the kind of beauty i thought looked just right (10) i am a little black girl, learning to embrace my grace (11) my big puffy afro, a crown too tall for small rooms (12) “a clown,” people would say (13) day by day, i learned not to care what they would say (14) i am a little brown girl, embracing my grace (15) as i grew older, i started noticing strength in the people around me (16) in voices that sounded like mine, in stories i used to overlook (17) something in my roots began to feel closer, more real (18) like i wasn’t just being seen differently, i was seeing myself differently (19) i am a little brown girl, with a heart filled with grace