My Truth Poem by Onyi Ogwumike

Porcelain skin of ivory
Red stained lips
Golden waves of a sand beach-like hair glowing in the wind.
Is this your goddess?
Your prize?
Your lives exalt her,
You put her up on this pedestal for everyone to see.
You look up to her, they look up to her.
I look up to her and my eyes burn.
Their brims overrun by tears, I blink and one escapes.
It runs down my truth.
My ebony slabs of “why don’t you see what I see? ”
My eyes of “it’s in there, you just don’t look deep enough”
My lips of “you have no idea what I am, do you? ”
My chemical kissed hair. It whispers “accept me… love me… please understand I can’t help being what I am…”
Your beauty intertwines with my truth.
And thus it ensues the battle of a lifetime.
Of huuunnndredss of lifetimes.
We scream liberty and we preach the equality of night and day.
We let the green tint our sun.
We lap it up.
On all fours we beg for that sweet nectar. That venomous potion pours down our throats.
It soothes the scalds on our disfigured hearts. It goes straight home, and our little red houses pumping blood absorb it.
“no more” I weep.
I don’t want your love anymore….
I want mine.