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Lauren Michele Jackson: “A child of Hers has rules for color”

November 28, 2018 by PBQ Leave a Comment

“Don’t put Black girls under
blue light” she sighed, peering

at the scope that did not see
as God/Her intended.

My mama like her mama told us
About yellow: the only safe color.

Yellow like – yes – the Sun,
whose acrylic tips tickle the 
microfine follicles and entreat
our skin its secrets.

Yellow bathes in young love,
cradles minds elastic, asks for 
only that part of your soul your 
body doesn’t need anyway. White 

folks know what yellow can do.
White folks gave black barbie
purple, instead.

Yellow flits across the faces of some.
They say yellow is a privilege, perhaps
true. Yellow drapes, languishing
in a heat from the beforetime when

no sunscreen necessary for (what
better shield than the roof of
Planter who saw you made, laced
waist to ankle.) Yellow, a fantasy.

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