Saanvi Nayar ’22
she floats mindlessly
petals strewn across the purified river
divinity coursing through her roots
for she is the standard of beauty
(in all of its subjective glory)
as the bleeding sunshine bellows my name
i regard the lecturing mindset of my skin
(too dark, too dirty, not pretty)
the mindset timelessly bolstered by my culture
for in mockery
they spew bleaching products on their shelves and yet
expect me to follow in embrace
for in ignorance
they cast fair-complexioned actors in their films
modeling the same fabrics buried in my closet on the skins
of white, of light, of superior women.
she floats consciously,
more conflicted than ever,
teetering on the untaught insight of embracing a culture
that does not offer the same embrace back
and, so, she reminds herself
that the lotus,
with divinity coursing through her roots,
blossoms in water and mud alike.
for in the mud of a scornful culture
(too dark, too dirty, not pretty
embracing, untaught, and unloved) –
the bleeding sunshine drenches my rich brown skin
for i revolutionize the standard of beauty,
idiosyncratically crafting my own.
the len(z) 