Queen
Looks everywhere. Smile frowns.
They don’t know what to think of her dark brown skin.
Is something unknown? Over here she’s different: she stands
Out. They don’t want to be friendly with her or let
Her in because she doesn’t look like them.
She’s tall…dark as a desolate jaguar.
She might hurt us or take our belongings.
Always skeptical; it’s like she’s not a human being.
Unfair treatment—
Blink faces, angry stares, and lighter complexions everywhere; that’s not
The way to go; she’ll overcome it; her looks won’t change; she’s Content with how God made her.
She doesn’t care to be the same.
Her being different
Isn’t so bad after all; that beautiful black Ethiopian queen dressed in golden jewels,
She’s so lively, blissful, confident, blessed—
That she me I am
Queen.
That’s Not Love
Wake up in the middle of the night
Looking for a charismatic text, being upset,
Having anxiety because he hasn’t called you.
That’s not love.
Fighting over flirtatious comments being
Left on social networks, having to respond
Like you’re not responsible for someone else’s temperament.
That’s not love.
Spare me the pain, migraines, the severe bags under my eyes
Because of my lack of sleep wondering where you are. I don’t
Want to do this anymore—not saying anything when something has changed,
Meaning physically and emotionally.
That’s not love.
My nail polish, black hair dye, or the smell of Viva La Juicy,
Not seeing where you’re wrong,
Or noticing my dark puffy eyes when I cry over you.
That’s not love.
Not knowing our anniversary or how long
We’ve been together, where we first met,
My favorite song, not even my middle name.
It’s as painful as a baby’s first piercing.
That’s not love.
You, me—this isn’t love,
So let’s not pretend for it to be.
Let’s move on so we can finally say
“That’s love.”
Hello, my name is Kierra Ojulo, and I am a Junior at Stony Brook University. I enjoy writing unique poems during my spare time. Writing poems puts my feelings into perspective. It’s a positive escape from the real world for me. Even though my major is Health Science, I will continue to write poems and explore my creativity.
