The Poetess & The Artistry Corner: The Art of Poetry: 'My Skin'

Hey y'all,

As of today I have posted something new and old on my Sound Cloud today. 'My Skin' is a poetry piece I wrote a while back during my senior year in high school while performing in my first slam with the Youth Speaks Organization in the Bay Area. Though I didn't make it to the final round of the slam, I continued to perform 'My Skin' personally for people until I had fully memorized it, in doing so I had no idea the extent of the impact it had on people and how far it would eventually take me. Long story short, once I arrived at UC Riverside in Fall 2009, 'My Skin' became who I was, turned me into the campus poet and became my signature piece.

'My Skin' is a reflective and personal poem about me and my experience with being dark skin. Growing up, I was made fun of and often disrespected because of my skin tone. Despite coming from an unconditionally loving household, it was difficult to come to grips with my reflection because I held the opinion of others in too high a regard. The teasing eventually stopped, but as I got older the back handed compliments, comments, and preferences others made in reference to my complexion still lingered. Eventually, I just got tired of everyone's opinion and BS, and from the exhaustion and annoyance of not being able to back-hand stupid opinionated people on sight came 'My Skin'. It summed up my whole experience intertwined with historical facts and references dating back to slavery. Eventually as I performed it more and more, I came to realize that this poem was not only my own experience, but also that of others who often held their composure instead of 'back-handing' stupid people when they really wanted to. This poem was about uplifting and educating people who felt just like me as well as those who did not, so if you have a minute please listen, share, and pass on to someone you think would appreciate it. I plan to record a video a little later. The link is below, support & share :)

Enjoy