Does my skin scare you?

Does my skin scare you? Does its olive tones stir up A fear so cold It makes your own turn blue? Or is it the scarf I wear To hide my dark-hued hair? Your eyes betray your fear, So bold, And the whispers that follow your stare.

Does my skin scare you? Does the darkness that was given me Make you shake And send shivers across you? You hate and then you don your cap Of white and so go forth to snap And break The souls of my dark-skinned kin.

Does my skin scare you? Does its blemishes of bloody red Push you away, Scaring and sending children running too? You avert your eyes, look away to the land But your shudder and the wring of your hands Betray What your eyes dare not show.

Does my skin scare you? For it is only skin: not my heart, Not me, Or anything that conveys what I am to you. It's just another physical thing, A first impression, like make up or bling. So see Who I am, and not the extent of my skin.