Poem continued:
in the afro hair houses
scalp burning with hydro chloride
I’d wander down the aisle
while trying to find something to scrub off parts of this child these
ashy knees needed creams
these nappy locks should be stopped
this rainbow of browns looked down on
and why
was I praised for having such white palms
these arms
change by sunlight
‘so stay out of the sun’
I’d hear
‘you’re getting too dark’
such simple words enough to spark a disdain
for this blackness
‘or you’ll look like a slave’
as though slavery was a bad choice our ancestors made
she said ‘you’re not even black
‘just tanned
‘you’ve got skin we’d kill for’
well tell that to those who got killed for it
police stopped,
billed for it
skin pealed from toxins never healed from it
parents stolen from grandparents
land grabs,
displacement
derogated,
shamed
second class citizens
on our own lands
that you claim