A Little Bit Of Sunshine

I wanted to be more than I was To toe the edge of the canvas To spill over- my cup was chipped Warm honey sipped and spat out Sweet teapot tipped over plush carpet Lace curtains ripped with the same familiar fingers that hugged her warm  A steady grip confining her exquisite form And so granted her wish...she was more  More brittle More faces More wounded  More pieces, scattered from the whole  More became a shame More was something to be tamed  She crawled back into her cup Tucked safely in the page she'd meant to escape  She knew now what the tingle was Not itching to be more  But longing to be enough 

A Black girl was not a thing of magic She found the entire thing tiresome and tragic The need to paint everything elflike, legendary Like there was no beauty in ordinary Yet they surrounded her like a fairy Willing her to dazzle, to dance  But her steps would falter,  Her shine disappoint when they realized There were no wonders beneath her shorts And sometimes she smacked her hips to make a point Right then and there she'd run out of spells to pepper her words Exhausted her supply of potions Come sundown her crown of glory began to melt...became another kinky mass With a resounding click,  she closed her bag of tricks...passed down from her grandmother's mother And waited, impatient as the glitter wore off and left her just another chip off the old block Black, middling, plain  Business as usual Cleanup on aisle four This was fine, she couldn't ask for more  So what if her life story wouldn't be told  across the campfire  In hushed, reverent tones Yet beneath her haird