Light

Light Light, bright, fair Long, soft hair A spectacle beyond compare Small, narrow, pointy nose Soaps and scrubs And cheap lightening creams get smeared and lathered Lasers, needles, pills And even IV fluids Get smuggled in A global phenomenon A billion dollar industry Used to be dark and insecure But now... I am Cinderella I am Belle I am exceptional I am beautiful Less melanin please White from the inside out A risk worth taking Want to be presentable Even if it cost me my life Even if burns and rashes persist Even if poisonous And over the limit Even if cheap, deadly ,mercury Likens me to a baboon’s butt Either way, I’d be better off Bleaching my way to access and opportunity Marckincia Jean Free verse 06/05/19