we're quite different,
you and I.

sure, you rugged on the outside
and smooth on the inside,

maybe we can even pull
a pearl outta you too.

but you not hollow on the inside,
not whitewashed on the outside.

erosion is not your destiny,
no matter the lies society tells.

your bones don’t belong to the sea,
no matter what history yells.

unlike me,
you always existed

to be more than the market’s currency,
to be more than an exotic accessory,
to be more than a herald of tragedy.

before they plunder your pearl,
harvest your flesh from inside out,
and play you to the beat of their symphony,

Remember:

you are no husk left behind.

Crystal (she/her/hers) is a sophomore at Columbia University studying Political Science and History. As the daughter of Cameroonian immigrants in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., her political awakening has been one of contradiction and frustration. Being a first-generation African-American places her in a unique relationship with Blackness and forces her to center her poetry on history, both personal and political. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram.