Love Poem: The invitation of love into a black woman's heart
Layla  Riley-Hill  Avatar
Written by: Layla Riley-Hill

The invitation of love into a black woman's heart

Deep down she was a hopeless romantic
Masked with hate because she thought she couldn't have it
After all she was a black woman 
When she asked the world for love it laughed at her 
It's why she gave up, a story so tragic

Growing up in a world where white was the beauty standard
And being black was considered unattractive 
It's why she hated herself 
Why she couldn't stand the mirror 
Why she couldn't look in it 
Her reflection was a vessel for the world's racism
Telling her love was for those who had pretty privilege 
That love was for people who had a different lineage 
Those who were white and had the perfect 'image'

The only 'love' she had know was fetisisation 
That the only attention she would receive
Were from men who envisioned her naked 
Ones who were cowards
Who couldn't look in her eyes 
But would gladly stare at cleavage 
It didn't help that being black and having a body
Meant that people automatically assumed 
You were for everybody

But when she started getting compliments 
From men who didn't have ulterior motives
She felt it was a joke and then they would tell their friends 
That they had got with a black woman
She was untrusting 
But what did they expect
When the world has taught black women that love was not made for them
But when she was wanted she felt confident
Especially when they asked her parents
To take her out
She loved old school gentlemen 

After all those years of poor self image
And the times she would get in her own head 
She decided She wouldn't self sabotage 
And she would finally let love into her heart