My brown skin is no match
for your whiteness
for your privilege
okay
have you ever felt invisible?
like you don’t belong somewhere
at a meeting
at a celebration
at a restaurant
in someone’s inbox
in a reply
have you ever felt uncomfortable?
like you shouldn’t correct someone
when they pronounce your name
incorrect
even when they whisper
it hurts your ears
like when they ask you to repeat words
so you learn to practice
before you say it
but
it is never right
their ears are not meant to hear your voice
maybe
you feel humiliated
because sometimes
the other
is the same color as your skin
but they still make you feel
like you are less
a second-class citizen
somehow it is your fault
that your skin is a shade darker
your eyes the wrong color
so sometimes you have an urge
to scrub your skin until it bleeds
so you can wash away
your strangeness
the otherness
remove your invisibility cloak
so you can
stop surprising people
with your fine knowledge
of
of the world
that you inhibit no wait inhabit
next to those who make you
feel invisible
because you wanted to be noticed
without trying too much
because you want to know what it feels like
to not be brown
for one day
to know this world
which is an oyster, they say
and
grab it
belong to it
because then
it means you are
not brown
anymore
Author: My name is Sehar. I am a Pakistani born Kiwi. I love behaviour analysis, breaking stereotypes, reading, meditating, and being one with nature. I have a toddler who keeps me busy.