This poem is inspired by:
1. A dark-skinned tour guide I met in Thailand – I don’t know how we got into such a deep conversation but we did. He told me dark-skinned men will seek out lighter-skinned women to marry. If you’re a dark-skinned woman, you’re screwed. That conversation stayed with me because before then, I thought the idea of wanting to shed and move up the shade hierarchy was only in Black communities. At that time, I don’t think I paid attention to shades in other communities.
2.That scene in Precious (2009), where she looked in the mirror and saw a blond-haired, blue-eyed young woman staring back.
Essentially, I am exploring the brutality of colorism, the false promise of whiteness, and the generational cost of self-erasure.
I’ve never wished to be white or lighter than I am, but I wonder if I was darker, would that still apply. I remember a man in my life, who couldn’t understand why I wasn’t attracted to him when he’s half-Black signaling that his light skin automatically made him more desirable (and that’s exactly why I didn’t date him, he has mirror work to do.)
© 2025 Samantha Williams. All Rights Reserved.
