Brown Skin

Portia Leonard

Description

Why does skin color dictate how people are treated? This book is a poetic journey to celebrate the diverse pathway of people with melanated skin.
This book is a compilation of poems written to reflect the diverse experiences of people with melanated skin. As I witnessed resurfacing historical wounds of racism, bigotry, and social unrest, I was prompted to write poems that focused on how we managed to thrive and survive against all odds.

Sujets

• Poetry

Informations

• Publié par: iUniverse
• Date de parution: 26 janvier 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781663249357
• Langue: English

Extrait

Brown Skin
 
Poems of Reflection, Encouragement, and Inspiration
 
 
 
 
 
PORTIA LEONARD
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
BROWN SKIN
Poems of Reflection, Encouragement, and Inspiration
 
Copyright © 2023 Portia Leonard.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
 
 
 
iUniverse
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www.iuniverse.com
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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6632-4934-0 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6632-4935-7 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022923801
 
 
 
iUniverse rev. date:  01/24/2023
Dedication
I dedicate this book to the legacy of my grandparents, great-grandparents, and great, great-grandparents.
Grandparents
Rosa Lee Burton Opeyi
John D. Burton
Naomi Carnegie Leonard
Wesley Presley Leonard
Great grandparents
Alma Dean Chandler Hart
Willie Robinson
Savannah Carnegie
John Carnegie
Elfeta Rogers
Albert Leonard
Great-Great Grandparents
James Chandler
Delia Chandler
Contents
This Brown Skin of Mine
Skin Sacrifice
Kissed by The Sun
Skin Color
Brown Is the Flavor
Brown skin Country Gul in the Kitchen
Red Bone
The Blacker the Berry
Brown Sugar
Dear Brown Skin
Resilient
Angry Black Woman
Crooked Crown
What Cha Call Me?
Giving Honor
Reminisce
Blakeney Street
Going to the Hood Store
Juke Joint
Praise House
Solitude
There is a Sound
Freedom
History Lesson
Teach Your History
Justice For Y’all
Bus Ride
Signs
Appearance
There is a Foul Odor in the Air
Wound
Life Matters
Jim Crow Isn’t Dead
Strange Fruit
I Can’t Breathe
Is History Repeating Itself?
Untitled
Walking the Line
X
Sticks ‘n’ Stones
There is Blood on Your Hands
In the Darkness of the Night
In the Stillness of the Night
I Hear, I Smell, I See
Figuratively Speaking
HBCU Pride
Crystal Ball
At the Bottom of the Boat
Scraps From the Massa’s Table
Standing in the Mirror
The Skin I’m In
This Brown Skin of Mine

It built civilizations and kingdoms.
There is royal DNA of kings, queens, warriors, and chiefs.
It was civilized to dehumanize.
It was shackled, beaten, and sold.
This brown skin of mine
It persevered
It strived
It stood the test of time.
This brown skin of mine
Brown skin.
Skin Sacrifice

I smell the aroma of freedom, courage, and suffering evaporating from an altar.
The fire from the altar reflected brokenness and desire.
No animal is at the altar; however, centuries of spectators viewed me as an animal
There are no bones or hair on it
Just the brown skin
As the smoke went up from the altar, smoke signals with words in them read
justice,
strength,
perseverance,
suffering,
and overcoming.
As the audience moved closer to the altar, they could see the skin of people of African descent.
My brown skin is on the altar,
It is a symbol of a skin offering made for the human rights of others.
Kissed by The Sun

This skin I am in has been kissed by the sun.
The sun’s rays hit my brown skin body perfectly.
My beautiful brown body!
Skin Color

My skin color brings hate.
But you fail to realize who I am in this skin.