He Cannot Hurt Me Anymore
by Sariah Lake
Tortola, British Virgin Islands
I beg the black man to love himself so that he may love me
he sees his reflection in the pool of my eyes
and stains me with his insecurity
spits his words against my skin, hoping it
will wash out the colour we both share
I learn to smell the smoke, before I let him burn me
Learn to see the hatred coming, learn to lick my own wounds clean
He hits me and it’s self-harm, both our knuckles bleed
His mouth is full of water, he’s twisting as he speaks
One of us will walk away empty and the one of us isn’t me
Sariah Lake
Sariah Lake (she/her) is a sixteen year old writer from the BVI. She writes poems, stories, and commentary posts on her blog and writing platform “Sari’s Shelves.” She writes with the hope to inspire positive social change, uplift her community, and promote the destigmatizing of mental health (especially amongst Afro-Caribbean communities). Her work surrounds the topics of mental health, colourism, self-love, race, sexism, and more. Feel free to connect with her on her personal or writing page @sariahh_kay or @sariwrites_