#solange - Hello Poetry

one time a boy told me he liked my straight hair better i told him but that's not my natural hair i felt insulted and he said "what are you talking about?" "i'm complimenting you" i brushed it off put the thought away but as i stare in my reflection as i touch the coarse, thick curls my mother and father bestowed upon on me passed down from generations of mexican ancestry i felt the hurt i felt the words in my head "maybe if your hair was straighter lighter maybe if your skin was lighter maybe if your nose was smaller and pointed" maybe then i would be the perfect version of myself but as i began to notice flowers sprouting in the women around me loving, appreciating their thick untamable manes my mind began to flourish away from the deception i had been told my whole life a bold lie that changed the perception of myself that made me scrub my skin in attempt to make it lighter a lie, so discreet and so subtle that my self esteem descended to nothing when looking at the natural reflection of my skin, my hair, my eyes, my hands as a child as a teenager i believed the lie but as a young woman now i can tell you it's deception, oppression to keep woman of color at inferiority to the european white embrace your curls embrace your melanin embrace your wide set hips embrace all the things you were once told to hide i will be who i was born to be and i don't need anyone's opinion on how my hair looks this is who i am a mexican daughter wise enough to recognize the strength and beauty in our differences

0

Jul 26, 2017

Jul 26, 2017 at 3:15 AM UTC

rey-1

rise

one time a boy told me he liked my straight hair better i told him but that's not my natural hair i felt insulted and he said "what are you talking about?" "i'm complimenting you" i brushed it off put the thought away but as i stare in my reflection as i touch the coarse, thick curls my mother and father bestowed upon on me passed down from generations of mexican ancestry i felt the hurt i felt the words in my head "maybe if your hair was straighter lighter maybe if your skin was lighter maybe if your nose was smaller and pointed" maybe then i would be the perfect version of myself but as i began to notice flowers sprouting in the women around me loving, appreciating their thick untamable manes my mind began to flourish away from the deception i had been told my whole life a bold lie that changed the perception of myself that made me scrub my skin in attempt to make it lighter a lie, so discreet and so subtle that my self esteem descended to nothing when looking at the natural reflection of my skin, my hair, my eyes, my hands as a child as a teenager i believed the lie but as a young woman now i can tell you it's deception, oppression to keep woman of color at inferiority to the european white embrace your curls embrace your melanin embrace your wide set hips embrace all the things you were once told to hide i will be who i was born to be and i don't need anyone's opinion on how my hair looks this is who i am a mexican daughter wise enough to recognize the strength and beauty in our differences

52

I'm so much better than this I'm much better than the girl who let's her weight define her I've read all the quotes that tells me what really matters That tell me it's my personality , my mind, my humor and my soul that matter But I feel so betrayed I have all of that But I can't see past my circumference I'm talented, I'm smart and beautiful but everyday Like clockwork I cringe at the glimpse of my reflection I exert myself on the treadmill hoping it'll make a difference Count calories to see how many are left for the day I'm so much better than being the girl whose crane in the sky is something so superficial.

0

Nov 1, 2016

Nov 1, 2016 at 2:19 PM UTC

zoevalley

Untitled

I'm so much better than this I'm much better than the girl who let's her weight define her I've read all the quotes that tells me what really matters That tell me it's my personality , my mind, my humor and my soul that matter But I feel so betrayed I have all of that But I can't see past my circumference I'm talented, I'm smart and beautiful but everyday Like clockwork I cringe at the glimpse of my reflection I exert myself on the treadmill hoping it'll make a difference Count calories to see how many are left for the day I'm so much better than being the girl whose crane in the sky is something so superficial.

13

An airplane crashes into an uncharted island and hundreds of people die in the burning debris, and somewhere a group of boys and girls are taking selfies as they stand next to a burning office building. Thousands of teenagers sit on the couch and eat ice cream until the buttons on their pants explode off. Kids light themselves on fires as if they were monks from the Tiananmen Square, trying to gain acceptance, their dreams of stardom translated through a series of YouTube comments. We can't afford books for college because the tuition is ridiculous, but these glossy tabloid magazines are only a few bucks; pick one to set the course of your life. Middle-aged people spend their lives indoors, away from the thirsty, hungry, withering children, and check how many likes did their photos receive on their smartphones. Pornographic images in front of our tired faces, our eyes locked to the screen and we do not blink as our memories become embedded with objectification. So we don't look up and see the chaos transpiring. Cat memes and colorful gifs hold our attention while our parents slave away at their boomerang-shaped desks, trapped in clustered cubicles. I saw a post on Facebook of a girl who was sexually assaulted at a house party and now her name was being hashtagged and kids were posing in photographs, laying on the floor, legs and arms sprawled out, left and right, trying to mimic the injustice. We swipe right to find our future hookups, but what if our future husbands and wives were on the left? Society spends millions of dollars on drinks to numb our conscience, until our brain cells are wretched like the homeless guy on the street corner drinking liquor from a coffee mug. Israel and Palestine battle each other day after day while our generation gossips about Solange Knowles beating up Jay-Z with her patent leather purse as if that news conquers every other bit of information out there. The world will always be corrupt, but it suffers more from the apathy that belongs to us.

0

Jun 24, 2016

Jun 24, 2016 at 7:56 PM UTC

dannyartreads

Clean each cell with a rag

An airplane crashes into an uncharted island and hundreds of people die in the burning debris, and somewhere a group of boys and girls are taking selfies as they stand next to a burning office building. Thousands of teenagers sit on the couch and eat ice cream until the buttons on their pants explode off. Kids light themselves on fires as if they were monks from the Tiananmen Square, trying to gain acceptance, their dreams of stardom translated through a series of YouTube comments. We can't afford books for college because the tuition is ridiculous, but these glossy tabloid magazines are only a few bucks; pick one to set the course of your life. Middle-aged people spend their lives indoors, away from the thirsty, hungry, withering children, and check how many likes did their photos receive on their smartphones. Pornographic images in front of our tired faces, our eyes locked to the screen and we do not blink as our memories become embedded with objectification. So we don't look up and see the chaos transpiring. Cat memes and colorful gifs hold our attention while our parents slave away at their boomerang-shaped desks, trapped in clustered cubicles. I saw a post on Facebook of a girl who was sexually assaulted at a house party and now her name was being hashtagged and kids were posing in photographs, laying on the floor, legs and arms sprawled out, left and right, trying to mimic the injustice. We swipe right to find our future hookups, but what if our future husbands and wives were on the left? Society spends millions of dollars on drinks to numb our conscience, until our brain cells are wretched like the homeless guy on the street corner drinking liquor from a coffee mug. Israel and Palestine battle each other day after day while our generation gossips about Solange Knowles beating up Jay-Z with her patent leather purse as if that news conquers every other bit of information out there. The world will always be corrupt, but it suffers more from the apathy that belongs to us.

13

Your wicked love seems to be the only thing that revives me everytime. I run away countless times just to wake up in your arms & your kisses are the poison that continues to run through my bloodstream and One day, I'll wake up to you and you'll be mine forever & when sun rises on that morning, I'll cry a sea of tears that have been trapped inside of me all of these years And we will make love like fire and there won't be any amount of rain to put us out We'll travel to Asia and to outer space and we will stay up all night and listen to the ocean.. And frankly, I wouldn't have it any other way because, baby, you're my drunk call at 4am, you're my 143.. You're mine.

0

May 15, 2014

May 15, 2014 at 4:44 AM UTC

jazmine-moore

Mine

Your wicked love seems to be the only thing that revives me everytime. I run away countless times just to wake up in your arms & your kisses are the poison that continues to run through my bloodstream and One day, I'll wake up to you and you'll be mine forever & when sun rises on that morning, I'll cry a sea of tears that have been trapped inside of me all of these years And we will make love like fire and there won't be any amount of rain to put us out We'll travel to Asia and to outer space and we will stay up all night and listen to the ocean.. And frankly, I wouldn't have it any other way because, baby, you're my drunk call at 4am, you're my 143.. You're mine.

10

Mesmerizing glory. Snowflakes falling down on us like old memories. One touch, and you're frozen. Not because of the hate, but because of the love. Sadness is intertwined in our fingertips. Three words. Eight letters. I love you. The words will forever hold true but the fear of them keeps them inside of us. I cannot bring myself to understand why people are so afraid to love. Demolishing demons dancing upon bare bodies at night while young women and young men are spending more time on physical interaction than emotional satisfaction. Satisfied with lusting one's surface is something I can't comprehend, I'd rather love your core. My appetite is growing because I'm starving for your soul as if I hadn't had a meal in months.. and to be honest, I haven't. Because no matter how much I eat, I can't seem to get full. And no matter how much I drink, i still thirst for more of your mind, your body, and your soul. I may have lost someone who didn't love me, But you lost someone who truly loved you. I am done searching for the light at the end of the tunnel because I have discovered God in the darkness. I loved you at your darkest. Slowly flicking a switch to find the bulb had blown out, I loved all of you.. and all of you loved it. Reciprocation is all I pray for at night and as day break arose, I found myself loving the darkness once again.

0

Apr 14, 2014

Apr 14, 2014 at 4:43 PM UTC

jazmine-moore

The darkness.

Mesmerizing glory. Snowflakes falling down on us like old memories. One touch, and you're frozen. Not because of the hate, but because of the love. Sadness is intertwined in our fingertips. Three words. Eight letters. I love you. The words will forever hold true but the fear of them keeps them inside of us. I cannot bring myself to understand why people are so afraid to love. Demolishing demons dancing upon bare bodies at night while young women and young men are spending more time on physical interaction than emotional satisfaction. Satisfied with lusting one's surface is something I can't comprehend, I'd rather love your core. My appetite is growing because I'm starving for your soul as if I hadn't had a meal in months.. and to be honest, I haven't. Because no matter how much I eat, I can't seem to get full. And no matter how much I drink, i still thirst for more of your mind, your body, and your soul. I may have lost someone who didn't love me, But you lost someone who truly loved you. I am done searching for the light at the end of the tunnel because I have discovered God in the darkness. I loved you at your darkest. Slowly flicking a switch to find the bulb had blown out, I loved all of you.. and all of you loved it. Reciprocation is all I pray for at night and as day break arose, I found myself loving the darkness once again.

26