My body is my body
I will do whatever I want
I will pierce whatever I want
I will get a tattoo where ever I want

I will do anything I want with my body if I please
Body confidence is the best thing
You start to feel better about yourself
And you are happier with yourself
With body confidence you will be happier

The red robin,
Something we now hear on the radio.

“Yummm”.

But when I first saw one I was so young.
Instead of a symbol, it was really there.

How rare.

Flocks of birds glided together as the red robin sat on her own.
They chirped and chirped all of them at once.
Like a noisy high school cafeteria during lunch.

It was so peaceful.
And beautiful too.

I couldn’t understand what they were saying.
But they had tones and tunes.

Above planes went by every 10 minutes.
The airport was in close distance.
Another 10 minutes passed then something caught my eye.

The robin was back still on her own.
You could tell by her demeanor she traveled alone.

Neither scared nor frightened by the other birds in sight.
But sat there in peace with all her might.

The days grow longer when you're alone,
Daggers sharpen, still stuck in your back.
The blood has drained you're left with bone,
And a heart that's vigorously turning black.

The headstones are plenty, plots they thicken,
Life grows sadder as people disappear.
The selfish coyote claims the chicken,
Before taking a glance in the mirror.

Love grows stronger for those who stay,
Remaining there forever by your side.
But forever is a word with play,
Tears come quicker having tried.

Laughing is seldom when you abolish the smile,
The more you think the less you do.
There is no cure, you'll find no vial,
Losing self respect amidst the truth.

The time you invest, do so with care,
Don't let the past hinder you with resistance.
Excuses are easy, hard work is the dare,
The challenge of your existence.

I can't remember ever wishing I had lighter skin.
I was always amazed by the way they glowed;
all of those beautiful black women.
I observed other women, and yes,
they were beautiful too. They just....
Didn't have that "umph" about them.
You know, the way beautiful black women do.

I have endless people to thank,
My mom being on top of that list.
"Mini-me, you're so beautiful,
and don't you ever forget this."

Society is constantly throwing shade,
highlighting no one but the "Arian race".
Leaving beautiful black women embarrassed
and too ashamed to even look into the face
of the next pretty girl, and most importantly herself.

Spending countless hours comparing,
and harping on the imperfections.
Too big, too small, not good enough.
Never pointing out the features that she loves.

Let me be the first to tell you
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. And
YOU ARE WORTH IT. And
in case you haven't heard,
YOU SET THE STANDARD.

Beautiful black queens, and
Black queens in the making, This is your world.
Everyone else is just living in it.
Love the skin you're in, because
truthfully, they'd love to be in it.

Rock your crown with confidence,
I see you shining from afar. And
if you don't love You,
Today is the perfect day to start.