Chronicles of a Nigerian American

Milky Way

Milky Way

It starts when you're young
And your parents
speak a different tongue
And you're trying to belong
Trying to sing a different song
Trying to climb,
and crawl out of your skin
Because you think you don't fit in

You begin to believe,
While flipping through magazines,
Watching the girls on tv,
Wallowing in self defeat

That maybe if my skin was a little lighter
Maybe if my hair was a little looser
Maybe if my name was jackleen or Lindsey,
That maybe I could live my life with ease?

But little did you know
That your hair defies gravity
And your skin holds
history like no other
Your skin shields you from the sun
Making you glow brighter than the stars in the sky

You are your own Milky Way
Better than any candy bar
If they are willing to taste
And see the power you hold
Within your skin

But little did you know
That alone your voice may be a whisper
But when we band together
Our voice is like a raging storm
Fighting and pushing
Fighting and pushing
Fighting and pushing
Not backing down
And if they wish to calm the storm
They must succumb to the power
We hold
Within our skin

When representation is not there
And self-hate is present
You don't realize the power you hold
Within your skin

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A/N

This is actually one of the first poems I wrote for a spoken word class I had taken. Vote if you liked it, comment your thoughts and continue reading! thank you!