What it means to be seen
Jada Smack
This body of mine,
with glass curves shaped like the hour, yet not translucent and not for all to see.
With broad lips and brown eyes in the same cocoa tone effortlessly expressed
across entire my body.
This skin of mine is dark and deep.
And for this I am not visible.
Being seen is for the privileged, while the rest of us are denied visibility.
Unworthy of the recognition the ivory receive, yet susceptible to awkward
glances and envious remarks.
For my yearlong tan, seems to be the butt of every joke and my pride filled
response assumed an overreaction.
But what really is the reason behind this oppression?
I’d like to believe it is because the oppressed have an opaque characteristic
that is unattainable to the oppressor. The translucent are see through and easy
to mimic, yet the opaque harbors a mystic so rich and intense that it strikes fear
into the souls of the oppressor.
So the privilege of being seen is merely a tragic flaw of the oppressor and so
instead of recognizing difference the translucent have chosen to turn their
heads.
Instead of looking at the opaque, the translucent have decided to chastise
what they are unable to profile.
And so I will love this black body and praise my ability to make them see without looking, and have them envy my beauty.
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