A Lesson In Contrast

on a trip to the drugstore, a young girl’s eyes
scan the shelves like a world war 2 sniper.
she is searching for the right equipment to storm
normandy and gut it like a watermelon.
except it is herself she is storming. it is herself she is gutting.
here is a question—what kind of soldier invades themselves?
a girl does.
at bootcamp, that is all she has been taught.
remove those hairs. remove that mole, remove that beaming self-confidence. you won’t need it in a world like this.
but do not worry. you won’t have to do everything yourself.
men will remove your innocence for you.
so she goes to the drugstore to find what she can.
today, she is trying to make her body lighter–
her skin lighter, too.
but i want to ask her, what is wrong with being dark and heavy
with your feet firmly on soil?
tell me, i say to her.
how many people will be able to blend in
with the dark deep night like you can?
tell me, i say.
after you erase yourself, how many people will ever be as heavy with loss as you are?

By Salma Deera

Biography:

Salma Deera is a Kenyan born poet of Bavanese descent. She is based in London and is an English Literature graduate. Her first poetry collection, Letters from Medea, was published in October.