My skin.

Milky brown.

Cocoa colored.

Soft to the touch,

Salty to taste.

Enchanting to see,

The melanin is perfection.

But,

You don’t see that.

You see

Whore.

Poor.

Thief.

Disgrace.

Unworthy.

You see this melanin and

It makes you uncomfortable.

It makes me seem less human.

It strikes fear into your heart.

You are uncertain of

What I am capable of.

I am not any of those things.

You are afraid of my greatness.

My excellence.

My strength.

My tenacity.

My beauty.

You think you can put me in a box with a label

And place me on a shelf to be forgotten.

But you can’t.

My resilience won’t let you.

My determination can’t allow it.

My purpose is much greater than

You could ever realize.

Melanin.

Brown.

Queen.