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Beautiful Black Boy

By Kellen Gaither

Beautiful black boy
I wish you saw what I did.
I wish you saw how your chocolate skin radiates in the bright sunlight
and how your curls define themselves
and how your smile can bring the sun from behind the heaviest cloud.
I wish you saw how people’s faces light up when I mention your name
and how they throw compliments on you like daisies in a field.
My soft, beautiful boy,
you’re beautiful, boy
elegant and radiant, boy.
I want you to feel nothing but joy,
happiness away from the anxiety and toxicity
and inconsistency.
Just stick with me,
I’ve got you
through the hardships and the self-doubt.
You’ve got me
through the inner screams and shouts.
We’ve got each other
and our lives will turn around
because we’re beautiful, black boy.

 

Kellen Gaither – 2021 Featured Poet – is a junior from Cincinnati, Ohio. She is a psychology major with a minor in gender, sexuality, and women’s studies who is also working on her prerequisites for occupational therapy. Businessman, Cantu Bantu, The Hood Isn’t Even Ours Anymore, I Can Feel It, Not Allowed to Hurt, The Talk

Filed Under: 2021 Issue, Featured Poet: Kellen Gaither (2021), Poetry

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