Melanin
By: Shamiika Michell Mitchell, Finalist Adult Poetry Division
Melanin is the beauty of my skin, the riches deep within
The beauty of my descendants, the faith that builds my strengths
Barriers that have been broken within, my melanin is courageous, easily to offend
My skin is beautiful. Black as coal, paper sack brown, honey gold, lightly tan, bronze, almond sand, cocoa with a touch of cream
My melanin explodes my self-esteem. My melanin means Queen
Promised dreams, riches unforeseen
My melanin is fear and faith.
If black is bad, melanin is last
Then whom must be first? You stole from the melanin, first on this earth
So, what is it we’re truly worth? Black cannot mean bad or cursed
Putting a price tag on my melanin would never hurt, the rays from the sun disbursed enriches color to my skin. Deeply rooted outside and within
Melanin, melanin they lay under laser lights just for you
Pay thousands of dollars to feel you or should I say me
Laughing hysterically my melanin is free, all my sisters wear it gracefully
Sitting back calm, hundreds of years, watching your fears
Jealously, ignorant ways in your secret closet begging God for melanin traits
My melanin is often despised, discredited, mocked publicly abused
Straight, curly, kinky hair matched well with my melanin 100% approved
No more denying pigmentations of my skin
Flawless, phenomenal, highly favored and blessed
Over 500 years you assumed we were oppressed, stressed, worth less
Melanin sisters we passed Society’s test perfecting our melanin to display at its best
About the Poet: My journey in this life is to share and teach compassion, hope and love through written words that can not be expressed verbally. I am a 41 year old, African American women, married, mother of seven children and five grandchildren. At the age of eight my gifts of poetry started to open up in my life, the writing has never stopped since then. I am a small business owner of “Thy Gifted Hands.” These personal baskets are made to comfort individuals with personal expressions as well as writing poetry for bereavement, special occasions and memories. I love writing, reading, spoken word, art and music and spending time with family, friends and anyone who just needs a positive light in their life.