You do not take credit
For the fact that
Your eyes are nutmeg
Your skin chocolate
No, you do not
You just dance with it
You wake up to the fact
That you are gifted, sprung forth
From the toils of lives
Burned by sunshine
No you do not take
Credit for the twist
in your hair, lips, hips
You just dance with it
With the fact that all
we have is given
Dance with the truth
Eyes chocolate and nutmeg
Skin telling stories of
Ancestors in the sun
So that our dance blesses
The ones unborn.
Michigan in Color is the Daily’s opinion section designated as a space for and by students of color at the University of Michigan. To contribute your voice or find out more about MiC, e-mail michiganincolor@umich.edu.