The Baby Factory
By: Cassandra Alfred, 1st Place Division 3
It would seem that there is a desire among some of our people
A desire among some our people
To invent
Genetically modify
Engineer their offspring
A want
An aspiration
To create and have a biracial mixed child
Creme brulee
Caramel macchiato
Tannish
Black-ish
Pretty little brown skin child
A desire I hope goes out of style
This isn’t a phenomenon that requires great research
I’m sure you’ve heard the statements of every variation
Men and women claiming and stating how cute
How lovely
How beautiful
Biracial children are – perfection by far
The best of both worlds
Have that black flair but with that good hair
Some seriously want
While others simply sigh and dream
Some just don’t want their child to come out as dark skinned as he or she
It’s the natural lightening cream
Find a race apart from your own to smooth out the wrinkles
Or should I say smooth out the blackness
To wash out your race with
And whitewash that dark bone
Have a little “red bone”
That marshmallow with a little roast
Fair skin and bone straight nose
Now isn’t it a shame?
A slap in the face to our ancestors
Buried underneath our feet
The Taino. The African Slaves
Bodies slaughtered
Nooses around necks
Came a long way from pickin’ out the cotton
To picken’ on the streets
But now we’re here tryna pick out the darkness
Pulling at the strings
Unraveling the fabric of our beings
After all the struggle
The years of pain at the hands of hate
Have we still not learned our lesson?
Let it make it known I think every young one is perfection
A blessing sent down from the King
And I embrace a child of any race
A concoction of different types of heritages
Cultures. Customs.
An epic combination
However,
It disturbs me and irks me to think that people go shopping for
Phenotypes
Genetic expressions
Love is love surely but there is a difference between prejudice and preference
I’m not condemning; I just want to bring it to light
That the whole “white is right” ideology, well it plagues us all
Has seeped past our skin and into sulci and gyri of our minds
And womyn, it has planted itself in our wombs
It’s scary
Because that child is a manifestation of you
If you want that child to be less than what you are
Than that means you must think less of yourself too
Examine
Truly examine and consider these perceptions of beauty
These adaptations of self-hate
Because your child will eventually grow up and fly away
But you?
You cannot escape your skin color
You cannot blot out your heritage
You cannot erase your past
There is no device to filter
Highlight
Or contrast
The flesh you have
About the Poet: Born in New York, Cassandra A. is a native of Rockland County. A college graduate, Cassandra is professionally a Registered Nurse. Despite this career choice, Cassandra’s passion is in writing poems and spoken-word pieces that inspire and bring to light social issues. As she continues to explore the art form and hone her craft, she hopes that her works may reach a wider audience in the future.