She Dared Them to Define Beauty
When black is not bold and beautiful
They called her dark because she’s not a redhead not a blonde of any shade.
Look at her pupils from a distance and they are dark; get closer, and you look deeply, they are a shade of brown, sepia something coffee doesn’t fully describe; and her temple and nose hint of wisdom and a dose of bouncy good health and enviable well-being
and those lips are full because they are bold and courageous in love and in war with the signs of hidden and deadly weapons that are deployed tactically, when she decides to win and you win when she decides you win, knowing your guards will be down when you are comfortable,
and those hips are not shy to challenge you to a dance for which they will hold the stage and swing gracefully giving a lie to overworked efforts of the twerk — the sassy show off of the dancer stiff on the legs — to show she’s the queen who danced in her walk, who made the sun stand still when she took all it threw at her and brewed black coffee with the fire on her skin
and all the sun could do was singe her hair to turn it kinky before the witches brought in the lotions and creams, to perm the hair to the hide, of a dead pussycat and she dared them to define beauty and showed them her braids and deadlocks and ran a comb through when she’s nice enough to wear it natural
and in her soul she smiled and dared them to define beauty and asked if they have seen the waistline, of a black queen adorned with colorful beads, or if they have danced with one wearing bangles freely and generously on her arms and legs
and she dared them to define beauty and asked them, if they know that the tan on her skin is for a reason; her glow may never fade, no matter the season, the color may never change even when she’s in a prison and they said to her: we know black is beautiful if we give it a shine, we make it a little brighter; we make it a little lighter and if you want to be urbane and look urban loosen the locks, soften them with the gel, you won’t be that dark — your color will be a mixture of all races but you would be everyone’s idol a social influencer, on a global pedestal. She has a billion followers on social media and appears on tv adverts someone is writing her a script; she is the heroine and lead actor of a play on Broadway and now she has transitioned to a bigger and better chick — she’s often staring at the mirror trying to know this woman who just stepped into her life; she dares her to define beauty and asks her if she is it, but the pale lady shakes a head covered with the fur of a dead cat.
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