My olive skin provides me with ample
opportunities to exploit my white privilege.
Depending on the hue of the situation,
it's a superpower that allows me the ability
to portray any socially accepted image.
As a child, I kept stumbling into awkward situations,
unaware that my uniqueness was being falsely labeled
as a natural violation - so I began using foraged sticks
as magical wands to summon somber rain clouds
in desperate attempts to wash away my
human pigmentation.
As an adolescent, my evolving society
introduced my incandescent brain
to pleasant antidepressants.
Teaching me valuable lessons on how
to successfully suppress my intuitive questions.
As an adult, I have accepted the strange -
iridescent opal dimensions
of my multi-colored reflection.
I am a proud person of color,
and I refuse to be lessened
to the point of a lesson.
About the Creator
Kale Ross
Author | Poet | Dog Dad | Nerd
Find my published poetry, and short story books here!
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insight
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Comments (4)
Love this Kale, and I relate very much.
You’re just a special person and I wish I could buy you a coffee, lol 😆
I love how you wove color references throughout the whole piece. Cleverly done and relatable.
My daughter's birthmother was olive, my ex was an olive with a heavy french accent. They "passed" until my daughter's hair began to curl, then her skin darkened. Everyone said stay out of the sun! I said, embrace your beauty. I like black olives!