For all the pretty girls who may not know it…
pretty girl
she had to be about 12 or 13
but her eyes put her a little closer to 30
telling me that her soul had already seen far too much pain in her world
I smiled and said…hey pretty girl
and asked her how she was feeling
but
when she looked back at me
there was no concealing the confusion and surprise
that clouded her young-old eyes
as she seemingly struggled in digesting
what I thought was just a simple question
she
paused
and asked simply
Who told you I was pretty?
caught completely off guard
I looked at her
and blinked
and all I could think to say was
Who told you that you weren’t?
she sat and stared
and before I could get prepared
for the answer
she replied without hesitation
Everyone.
Every-one?
I didn’t want to believe it
but she proceeded
with
well…
the music videos all tell me
that my skin is too dark to be considered
and I remember how all the images I see on tv
hint that my nose is too broad and my lips too full
and the lady that does my hair always pulls and presses
mumbling about long straight tresses and weaves
and all the boys at school leave me alone
cause I’m not stacked and not thick enough in the back
and the black women I know always talk about
how they want to go change the way they look
but never talk about how beautiful they are
and if I look just like them
then I can’t be far from the disappointment
they see in themselves
and well…
how much more
would you like me to tell you?
and when she refocused her eyes on me
they were clear and dry
but
I had started to cry
and didn’t know where to begin
so I said
pretty girl…they’re all
just lies
See
Your pretty is in that beautiful brown skin
it’s in those full lips and those hips
whether they’re thick or they’re thin
Your pretty is in those inquistive brown eyes
it’s in that naturally curly hair and in that cute nose
regardless of the size
Your pretty is in that wonderfully resilient spirit
it’s in that brilliant smile and genuine laugh
that brings me joy every time I hear it…
So pretty girl
please don’t believe any of the lies you’ve heard
I need you to listen
to the certainty in my words
and know
that even when the rest of the world
doesn’t get it
You
have to
and as I tried to speak this truth into her wide eyes
they mirrored my own reflection
forcing me to recognize
that I sometimes
get caught up in those
very same lies
and I suddenly realized that
this pretty
wasn’t just about
her
it was also about
me
so as I
adamantly
convinced her
to see all
these pretty things in herself
I tried to convince myself
to see those same pretty things
in me
just
getting
that maybe when I
finally
could look in the mirror
and truly see
my Pretty
so
finally
would
she.
–cdt – 6/4/08
