these lips
age ten, they told me
“black girl lips are too big to be beautiful”
I sucked my lips in better than a suction cup.
left them their natural two tones colors, so their
size wouldn’t stand out.
and I was considered beautiful unlike every other
black girl with a thick line of cupids bow
outlining two shades of brown on their lips.
six years later, kylie jenner made thick lips a trend.
though Nina Simone, Fantasia, Lil Mama, My Mama
had been decorating their juicy lips with colors and glosses
seen as “improper”, “unprofessional” for years.
as I grew out of ponytails to twist outs and slayed edges
I glazed these lips with a heavy layer of lip gloss.
believed these lips are filled with sweet honey and gold.
I wear them naturally poked out, plump, proud.
so proud, others over line their cupids bow with bright colored lipsticks.
fill their lips with plastic and poison.
while I allow the sun to make my gloss shine, accenting the
lip size passed down to me.
some have said,
these lips feel like shaved legs on fresh sheets.
said my top lip taste like milk chocolate
and my bottom tastes like Hershey.
now, I call these lips
the chocolate factory.
About the author: Miracle Imani Singleton is a senior at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts for creative writing. She began writing and performing poetry in the eighth grade and hasn’t stopped since. Miracle has performed her original poetry on Douglas Anderson’s main stage, her writing has been featured in Extravaganza, she’s been awarded with Scholastic’s Art and Writing Silver Key and much more. Miracle believes poetry is the only way she can express her experiences, beliefs and emotions. Her most common themes revolve around her culture and gender along with the hardships that are attached with her being black and female. She aspires to be a spoken word artist and well known poet along with being an officer in the Airforce. Her goal for every poem is to be sure her readers gain knowledge and understating about her or themselves.
