“Saanvli” by Misha Asim

don’t call me dark
and expect me to be offended
don’t call me dark
and expect a justification
don’t call me dark
and expect me to be embarrassed

my complexion is the colour of my soil
the very one that I was born into
the very one that I have played upon
on sunny days in the scorching Karachi sun
the very one that I have prostrated and touched with my forehead upon when i have bowed down to the One who doesn’t love me any less because of my skin colour
the very one that I have let run
through the spaces between my fingers
when I have cherished it with all my heart
the very one that my ancestors gave their life for
and the very one that my army brothers fights for

don’t call me dark
and expect anything but for me to hold my head up high
for I’m a child of the glorious soil that has fought over and over for freedom
Don’t call me dark
And expect me to end this war now.
because this era has forced me to protect the mud that has protected me since infancy.
So
Don’t call me dark
And expect me to abandon my origin.
Don’t call me dark
And expect me to abandon my “mitti”
Don’t call me dark
And expect me, to turn on the colour of my soil that courses through my veins within my rich red blood.
Don’t call me dark
And expect me to abandon myself.

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Refusing to not take pride in her skin colour which she calls her “identity” Misha Asim of X-G uses her poem “Saanvli” to not only describe her struggle with having skin that is tanner than what is perceived “pretty” but also expresses her dislike for ideologies that endorse white supremacy. She says, “we dictate that pinky under-toned fairness is what it takes to be pretty, we ignore and reject our own culture and then we expect for the already dominating whites of the world to respect us and not think of us as inferiors.

Misha uses her poem to speak up against the bizarre societal standards imposed on beautiful desi girls that are wrongfully complexion shamed when they should be empowered to take pride in representing the soil that gave birth to them through their skin. Misha actively likes to participate in women empowering campaigns and uses her social media platforms to endorse her opinions. She also expresses herself through writing, sketching, painting and participating in debates as well as Model UNs.

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Cover Photo by Arjunsyah on Unsplash