By: Ali Ibrahim-Hirji
My brown skin Princess, I love you
From your brown eyes to your golden skin
You need not be ashamed of where you have been
But the truth is they have lied to you
They have made you believe that your silence is expected
They have tricked you into thinking that their structures need not be objected
By brown skin Princess, my sweet baby, your skin is honey
But I will say that I think I find it kind of funny
That when you raise your voice, you are told you are aggressive
But when they shout theirs from an ivory tower, they are praised for being expressive
How when you step into a room,
Your intellect will be determined by how you dress
But when they step into a room, their value is automatically in excess
How your hair will be a talking point, but not the ideas that you brought
I wish I could simply show them all the wars you have already fought
The strength that you bring the fight in your bones
My brown skin Princess, just know that you will never be alone
And while I wish I could change that right now,
Rip out that toxic venom from this world’s body and blood
Cleanse it of the hatred that already treats you as mud
I cannot on my own, but I will try as hard as I can
Because for you my brown skin Princess,
Creating a better tomorrow for you, should be my duty as a man
My brown skin Princess,
I love you,
And I will fight for you