Tatenda Murigo

Skin Deep

My skin is a

Patchwork of ancestry,

And I can only imagine

My forefathers

Weaving each

Ebony-dipped fiber

Together,

Debating with God

On which shade is better,

They thread the needle

With such accuracy

A melanin so finely stitched

You can’t see

The soul beneath.

I can see

God’s hands on my exterior

Painting stretch marks

Hoping I’ll never be inferior

To the force of nature.

He made this shell voluptuous

He called it His home,

A temple of testimony

That I am His most sun-kissed throne.

About the author: My name is Tatenda Murigo, I am an 18 year old Zimbabwean art activist who expresses my concerns and issues regarding the society and the larger African community through poetry. I am an emerging artist in Africa, using my work to inspire and empower her fellow youth generation to a level of consciousness and action.