Lauryn Hill once said “I consider myself a crayon, I may not be your favorite color but one day you’re going to need to complete your picture.”
Is this quote relevant to you? Does it have a strong meaning to you? Has someone ever treated you like you weren’t worthy of proper love? Have you ever stuck with someone because of the love you hold for that person, even though they hurt you immensely? Do you deserve better?
If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, then you can relate to this poem. The poem “Ugly” is for every woman young or old who has put herself in a relationship that wasn’t healthy for her self-esteem. She knew it wasn’t healthy but she allowed herself to stay anyway because Love GOT in the way. The ironic thing about this poem is that it doesn’t have a happy ending, the girl does not end up leaving the guy because she realizes she’s too good and she needs to value herself. Sorry, no fairy tale ending here, this particular girl has to learn and maybe one day she will. So here we go…
“UGLY”
I wake up in the morning to wash some of the ugly off my face
i look at myself thoroughly my coated brown complexion
Am I worthless
Could this be it?
He told me I’m ugly so I am
I am who he says I am
I lay in bed with him at night
Having wishful thoughts that when he wakes up
He will see some beauty within me
A look of disgust appears in the morning coming from his opinionated mirror
I jump to scratch some of the ugly off my face
He told me I’m ugly so I am
I am who he says I am
I walk on the street getting smiles, glances and whistles from other guys
I get a compliment here and there but I know its not true
He told me I’m ugly so I am
I am who he says I am
I do my hair in nice bouncy curls
Put a touch of make up on
A gorgeous dress
And my highest heels
But yet I still get an urge to scrub some of the ugly off my face
He told me I’m ugly so I am
I am who he says I am
Visit from mama brings me joy
When its time for us to part
She hugs me
Gives me a gentle kiss
And says “Baby you still looking beautiful”
I turn away quickly
He told me I’m ugly so I am
I am who he says I am
My beauty hides behind hateful words
Deceiving and deluding spoken statements
I fail to realize how genuinely
Beautiful I am
I walk in the bathroom
Apply red lipstick to my lips
And stare at my coated brown complexion
Am I worthless? could this be it?
He walks back and smiles and says
“Baby you try to be something your not”
I sit motionless rainfalls pour from my eyes
I take a rag and dance it roughly across my face to remove some ugly
He told me I’m ugly so I am
I am who he says I am
And that is ugly
~ Navi Blue
Black Women Stand Up 