Bodega guy said: “Hola Mami! Que tal hoy Dia”
I said: “Est-ce que je peux vous aider?”
You see my Black ain’t Boriqua nor Dominicana
My black is French and Nigeria
That Lady said: “Oh my god, I love your hair”
I grabbed her hand midway
I said: “Don’t touch my hair”
Or I’ll see you in the elevator
My Cab driver said: “You don’t look black
You look pretty like those Dominican girls”
I said: “Dominicans are black –
Nigerians raped by Spaniards, they look like me & Black is beautiful
My aunty said said: “tu as perdu du poids depuis la dernière fois”
I said : “no need to assess my weight if you can’t acknowledge my accomplishments”
My Classmate said: “You are so nice for a pretty girl”
I pivoted and walked away.
Made me wonder
What kind of words
Over the years
I had been using
To say all kind of offensive shit…
©️ Daphne Mia Essiet, 2018
French Girl in Brooklyn 