I am not for sale.

Not a toy for you to throw about

Or stand on display whenever you deem it necessary.

I am not for sale.

The color of my skin is not a holiday you take when you want to experience life on the other side.

I am not a trip you take when you want to culture appropriate.

I am not for sale.

The trauma I have endured as a direct result of my melanin is not your story to be told.

I am not a book placed precariously upon a library shelf for you to browse about and peruse at your convenience.

I am not for sale.

I am not the angry black woman you’ve been warned about.

I am not the teacher, paid to answer your every question about what is appropriate and what is not.

I am not for sale.

And my voice is not yours to control.

Just in case you don’t already know… the North won and slavery abolished.

I am not for sale.