When I was a child, I was told by the kids at the playground
That my skin was too brown to be first at the swing
Ever since then, I stopped getting myself kissed by the sun
Replaced my skaters with tea sets
And my excursions with day dreams
I grew older, and was told at school
That I had to give up my slacks, and look more like a girl
I got a braid with a fringe to cover my African forehead,
Pink garments and colorful bracelets
When I reached eighteen it was remarked by the older ladies at tea sittings
That I was still too juvenile in my manners
That a woman shouldn’t speak her mind, nor act her age
So I treaded as if the smallest start will breach my modesty
Held my lips poised between a smile and a kiss
And chewed well on my words before I swallowed them back
I was told then that my imagination was obviously rampant for an adolescent
And the vibe that I gave when I toyed with ink was pleasantly florescent
But if I knew my good I would pick a trade with a title
That announced my worth out loud
So I threw away my sketchbooks, and tried to get an esteemed education
Where I was told that I pondered for too long, and argued too reasonably
Invested too much time figuring digits out instead of giving them away
So the heart I kept at bay, too afraid to go wrong in my calculations
I uncaged at last
Went ahead and fell for a brute boy that broke it apart
And ,Alas !
When all was said and done, I was still called pretentious
Apparently, for conforming so well
Shamed for having so many faces that I couldn't even tell who I was
Twenty five years of age, and I just realized that demolishing myself and rebuilding again
Mimicking the willful gestures of a mannequin, wasn't the way out of this confusion
That folks will never cease to criticize one's bearing and guise
Because they need a constant distraction from their dire straits of incertitude
And all these years I wasted trying to reach at perfection
I could've spent wearing my flaws
So perfectly.
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