Unwanted

I am the unwanted one,
The black girl in a sea of white faces,
The one who stands out,
But not in a way that brings admiration,
I am the one who feels out of place,
Who longs to be wanted, to be loved,
To feel the warmth of someone's embrace,
But the reality is, I am alone,
Unseen, unnoticed, unwanted.
I am the unwanted one,
Adopted by white parents,
Who love me unconditionally,
But can never fully understand
The ache in my chest,
The yearning in my soul,
To be accepted, to be desired,
To be seen as beautiful,
Not just for a black girl,
But simply as a girl,
Worthy of love and affection.
I am the unwanted one,
The one no boy will ever love,
Or so I have been led to believe,
By the cruel whispers of society,
Telling me that my skin is too dark,
My hair too unruly,
My features too different,
To be considered attractive,
To be deemed worthy of love.
But deep down, I know I deserve more,
I deserve to be wanted,
To be cherished,
To be loved fiercely and unapologetically,
By someone who sees me for who I truly am,
Not just the color of my skin,
Or the texture of my hair,
But the essence of my being,
The depth of my soul,
The beauty of my spirit.
I am the unwanted one,
But I refuse to be defined by that label,
I refuse to let it hold me back,
To dim my light,
To silence my voice,
I will rise above,
I will break free,
I will shatter the confines of society's expectations,
And blaze a trail of my own making,
A path of self-love,
Of empowerment,
Of unapologetic authenticity.

I am the unwanted one,
But I know my worth,
I know my value,
And I will not settle for anything less,
I will not allow anyone to make me feel small,
Or insignificant,
Or unworthy,
I am worthy,
I am deserving,
I am powerful,
And I will not rest until the world sees me
For who I truly am,
A force to be reckoned with,
A black girl, unwanted no more.

blues, soul, r&b