There's history in my hair please don't touch, handle with care.
It's the same as this perfect pigment,
this melanin I wear
Richly rooted in my blood
Whether dark or fair

Sun kissed and kinked in bliss
More love for my 'rough n tough Afro puff'
She shines like the Sahara sun
She smells like the salt of the Gold coast sea.
Theres a hint of the bittersweet seed of the cocoa tree.
Feels like the pillow that holds all your dreams with the dry Harmattan wind brushing against your cheek
She'll whisper secrets of the motherland.... If you get close enough

She holds like Mina
Curls with pride
Falls with grace and integrity.
Stubborn like the struggle of the ones before me.
Gravity defying masterpiece that's just a single piece of me, a reminder of my ancestry.
It's my glory, my covering

Don't take it lightly, don't misunderstand, I'm a work of art so please peep but just don't touch.

© Raphaela Israel Öbeñg

can he see the blood rush to my cheeks despite having skin darker than his?
does he see my skin as a barrier or an invitation?
if he locked his fingers with mine, would he see the contrast between our colors as a masterpiece of beauty or a masterpiece of shame?
if he placed his lips on mine, would he understand my relief that something as natural as melanin (or lack thereof) couldn't restrain love?
i'll never have my answers because i'm afraid of

skin.