On being brown....

[Sandra Martyres]

I am always amazed at the amount of time and money spent in my country on trying to change the colour of one's skin..." fair and Lovely" is a tenet most young women live by. We have a burgeoning fairness cream industry that notches up impressive growth rates year on year.... Inspired by a poem I read earlier today.
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She spent long hours everyday,
Trying to change the colour of her skin.
Mud packs, cucumber juice and turmeric
Were only some of the ingredients,
That she regularly used, the others being
Fairness creams sold by misleading ads,
Plus an array of expensive products.
But, try as she might she remained brown.

One day, quite frustrated, she just binned
All her cosmetics and decided,
That it was easier to accept
Her brown skin, rather than waste money
On trying to change, what was meant to be.
Her wise father did gently remark:
It is not the colour of your skin
That matters - but your mind and heart do!

[Nishu]

Bravo, I am sick too of this silly obession ..dusky is beautiful in my eyes, but more beautiful than the color is what lies beneath the skin, the heart and the mind indeed.

[Stella]

I am white and yet i would love to have a dusky brown skin, i think if i may use the word kindly "black" is beautiful.

The father's words are wise, at the end of the day beauty is really only skin deep anyway.

[Tom Balch]

We are what we are and should live our lives with the cards that we have been dealt. Well written, Sandra.

[Karin Anderson]

So many people cannot accept who they truly are and I really like brown skin and it is the opposite to mine. A well written poem that made me, the reader, think we should be grateful for what we have. I really like the Father's wise remark at the conclusion too Sandra.

[Nightmute]

We are created in a certain fashion, and yet folks contend with and against those things that we were given at birth instead of being content in who and what they are, Sandra. As the father so wisely notes, true beauty comes from within and is the most important. The sooner folks realize this, the happier they will be, and it will be a lot easier on their wallets.

[Cindy]

This poem made me think of my niece. My family is white. My sister dreamed of beautiful brown skin, as did I. My sister ended up married to a Mexican and had three beautiful children. Her daughter ended up with the darkest skin of the three. It's perfect as far as my sister and I are concerned. My niece hates it!! Unbelieveable! Like the poem.

[Fay Slimm]

It is so sad as your verse points out that colour of skin is deemed all that matters - -- a powerful exposure of the lengths people go to in trying to obtain the state of the outer whereas the inner colour of a contented heart is the vital ingredient for success. A strong verse and so well written - thanks for the look into trade which makes profit from such dreams as these dear Sandra.

[apoetwholovestosing]

Sandra, thank you for your verse...Years ago I attended a creative writing class at a college in Baltimore, Maryland where I wrote mostly love poems. The professor could not relate to me writing love poems as the young people in the class, mostly "Black" as we were called at the time, seemed to be very angry about one thing or another. My love poems seem to puzzle her. One poem I wrote had the line, "We loved with a love so profound we most have been the envy of even ancient lovers!"..." right away the teacher wanted me to explain the line. I said to her black folks love passionately too. This is when I wrote the poem, titled "Black" which ended with the line, "Black is me, black is you (pointing to the other students)black is happy, black is together, black is forever!" After I presented the poem to the class, I gave the red faced professor a copy of the poem, I walked out and never went back. (As I left the class the other students did stand and clap loudly. Black and Brown are both beautiful.
Dorothy
Singing Still

[Joseph Anderson]

I have Cherokee Indian blood running in my veins and am proud of it..Was M.L.King beautiful for his color or for what he stood for? Just keep writing
your great poetry and your beauty will come shining through.Color should no longer be a actor . Your father was so righy