Fair And Lovely

If I had a daughter of nine or ten,

A young woman of infinite possibilities ...

One who loved to paint elephants green

And the clouds a deep shade of orange

I would have entrusted her with

the secret of life, with a magic potion;

the harbinger of all things promising

hope and passion, love and confidence

This potion or should I rather say lotion

would help her spread her arms and soar

pin half a wing on the lapel of her coat

and possibly even find true love.

I would have said - My child, remember

Remember that the colour of skin

that's the key, not how well you paint

Or the fact that you dream of synthesizing

the cure for cancer in a test tube

You may wish to suit up in latex

And as your Mom, I will clip the cape

on your shoulders myself!

But think, would Super Girl indeed be super

if she was a few shades darker?

And when you step out of the space-craft

Into the inky void of the universe

Wouldn't the stars far and wide,

The ones curled up in your curls now

Raise questions about your colour?

My love, I give you this vial of fairness,

This Alohomora to life's closed doors

You will do just fine

As long as you pile this on

And my love, before I forget...

That nameless bird that sings

on your window ledge

The one dark as a moonless night

She is a misfit, an anomaly, an aberration.