Protect Our Skin

What is so fearsome about skin?—

skin that was kissed by the sun just a little bit longer

then the skin of our so-called protectors 

who protect nothing, but themselves and the skins like them.

Why does our skin resemble dirt 

and not the color of roasted chestnuts 

or violins playing symphonies, glowing from spotlights?

When did our skin stop being skin

and turn into the venom of hatred,

a residue of unworthiness, that only love can wash off?

Make them stop stepping into puddles of our blood on pavements.

Make them stop muffling our screams with their cuffs.

Make them stop stripping us of our humanity,

because under our skin we are no different.

~

My name is Shannon Cunningham and I am a Junior from Mountainside, New Jersey. I am a joint major in Creative Writing and Moral Psychology. Even though I am fairly new to writing, I have recently been focusing on poetry and non-fiction pieces. One of my favorite feminist writers whose work continues to inspire me is Maya Angelou. I hope that one day my work will echo the same amount of passion and strength that moves people in ways that make them want to read more.