Photo by DigitalSkillet Photography/iStockphoto
Pretty black child,
Open your eyes.
Do you see what I see?
Look at that little black child.
Pretty brown eyes,
Bright wide smile.
Look at that baby,
And her caramel complexion.
Sittin‚ next to little man,
Baskin’ in his dark skinned perfection.
Look at all those pretty black boys and girls,
With their hair of wool
Locked, braided, straightened and curled.
And how about light skin over there?
You know
The one we call red bone,
Playin’ with Miss Thang,
With her sandy skin tone.
Look at all those babies!
Skin of mahogany, bronze and honey complexions
All blended together in excellence.
Children of shades across the spectrum.
Some dark as night,
Some light bright,
But they’re all beautiful,
So that’s alright.
Pretty black child,
Tall, short, slim and wide,
Stand tall,
Walk strong,
Carry yourself with pride.
Pretty black child,
There’s no need to hide.
Your blackness is beautiful.
Embrace your color.
Love yourself and your fellow black brothers.
Pretty black child,
Do you see what I see?
An ocean of beautiful black faces,
Smiling back at me.
Copyright © 2006 by Shikema Monique Barksdale
This beautiful poem reminds us to value what we have and who we are every single day and reject and disdain that which devalues us.
We are uniquely handcrafted
to be more than the sum of each part.
We are masterpieces, handle with care,
irreplaceable works of His art.
From “Fragile—Handle with Care”
Published in For the Love of Life
by Lindamichellebaron
Copyright © 1998, 2002, 2007 by Lindamichelle Baron
May 27th, 2009 - 8:15 am
Thank you for choosing this poem as one of your 30 choices for 30 Days of Poetry. I’m honored to be added to the list of great aspiring and established poets. I was inspired by a first grade student who questioned her beauty because of her darker skin. I wanted her to know that regardless of her shade of black, she is just as beautiful as any other. Not really understanding the depth of the poem, she was just happy to know that the poem was about her.
—Shikema Monique
May 27th, 2009 - 5:52 pm
I just want to say, this poem is so beautiful and it truly helps us as Black people to look at ourselves aa a beautiful rainbow. We must respect not only ourselves but also each other. Thank you Shikema for your inspiration!
June 8th, 2009 - 9:40 pm
Thank you Kristine for your kind words!