My black is beautiful

Jourdan Dunn by David Slijper for Dazed & Confused

Yes, I'm black, darker than most,
But in my blackness I boast.
Boasting of my own? No!
But boasting of the quality
Which He: my God gave me!

From the curvature of my hips
To the thickness of my thighs,
Yes; even down to my big brown eyes?
He made my black beautiful!
And for the first time in a long
Time, I'm loving me and mine.

Come to the truth, should have
Known it from my youth,
But now that I know my
Black is beautiful, 

You cannot use me, mistreat
Or abuse me.

It is no longer a allusion but
I have come to the conclusion
Even if it means me loving
Me, cause you see
I have the power to love
Myself hour after hour.

I am God's creation. Yes,
A master plan even the
Absence of a man.
I still stand tall yell,
Refusing to fall, screaming
Loud and very proud,
MY BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL!

It is more worth than gold,
Cause my black runs deep
Into my only soul.
Not just for external for
Staring and glaring,
But it is the inner me
That God would have you see.

And it causes me to
Shout beyond the shadow
Of a doubt, MY BLACK
IS BEAUTIFUL! So if
You are a woman
And you are real and you
Feel what I feel.

Do not be ashamed to
Proclaim what he said
And what you read.
Fearfully and wonderfully
Made god very good
With what I wish you
Would tell somebody,
Anybody, your body,
MY BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL!


Poem by: ZINHLE MLOTSHWA