Featured Illustration: Upasana Agarwal

I used to feel

Uncomfortable

In my own skin

My dark brown hue

And even my kin

I longed to be white

A product of systematic racism

I longed to feel accepted

But instead was locked in a prison

Of my mind

Of my culture

Feeling

Less than divine

Worrying about tanning

Worrying about police brutality

Worrying about feeling like an outcast

I lost my sanity

Not being represented in books

Eyes gaze through

When we were younger

Feeling like an exception

As opposed to society’s member