Hey Mama, it’s not your fault
You have to be more than you are
You have to be a mother, and a friend, and a wife
You have to be a superwoman every single day
And it’s not enough that you take care of your kids
And the neighbors’ raggedy kids
It’s not enough that you make cookies for PTA meetings
And work 5 jobs only two of which you get paid for
Its not enough that you take care of your man and his family and his friends neglecting yourself
And keep the house clean- no…Mama
On top of it all you have to be a fucking commercial catalog day dream
You have to be a supermodel in an apron
With a bus pass
And no one is willing to give you a break for all you do
So to help you out, you find a nice local beauty supply store
And tuck your long healthy braids underneath a 3/4 length European style curly wig
And get fake lashes
And hazel colored contacts
And press on nails
So that for one second they all can see that even on top of all you do
You can look like a photograph too
And still run the entire operation in heels when your feet hurt.
You don’t want him running off to be with some pretty young thing, right?
You are the soul of the whole entire world
And you got to make it look like a soft porn
So hold it all together, baby-
I’m sorry Mama but this is the way that it is.
But at night,
When you have been all you could be
And you are ready to rest
And your ankles hurt
And the kids are asleep
And your man has been fed
And that stupid weave is itching
You can be yourself
Before the world starts begging for you to be a super heroine
Cosmic Black Barbie Doll
You can do something that no one else can do
You can take it all off
Like Superman takes off those dumb glasses.
Because that’s when you shine the brightest
And if no one ever tells you thank you
For cleaning the dishes and the toilets with a manicure
For running errands during your lunch break to buy more toothpaste and lingerie
Thank you.
And you make it look so damn easy, don’t you?
Who you are underneath the costume
Who you are underneath the names momma, sister, auntie, wife, diva
Black Cosmic Barbie Doll
Is beautiful
So hold it all together, baby
You have to be more than you are.
