"I Do Not Belong to You" by Celine Bartels-Mills
Artist: Deun Ivory, hello@deunivory.co
I will not be your puppet in a minstrel show
Because I guarantee no Mammy, Jezebel, or Sambo lives here
You may try to control my thoughts and dreams
But I will not be your Venus Hottentot
As you stare in awe of my beauty through a glass cage
I will not be your freak show
or your gateway to a cultural experience
So please find your own
I will not be your token prize that you flaunt for credibility
Referencing my existence ever-so-often to quench your thirsty guilt
I will not allow you to parade my black skin as a badge of honor
I will not let you touch my kinky locs
I will not let you use my tears to wash away your sins
I will not ‘dance monkey dance’
I will not sing or perform for you
My body is not a vessel for your insecurities
Do not twist and turn my limbs into a web of amusement
I will not plaster a smile on my face while you poke and prod my soul
Because I do not belong to you
Celine Bartels-Mills is a Ghanaian American freelance writer, political researcher, and an
enthusiast of Afrobeats and Pan-African history on her off days. She also holds a BA in Political Science with a minor in Africana Studies from George Washington University. A long-time lover of poetry, her first encounter with Maya Angelou’s Phenomenal Woman and Still I Rise sparked a passion that propelled her towards a spiritual awakening as a black girl growing up in a predominantly white, Minnesotan suburb. She has always used poetry as a safe space to unapologetically share her blackness and vulnerability. And as a self-proclaimed wordsmith, most of her poems explore the deep and complex black conscious, as well as racial, social, and mental health issues.
If you’d like to connect with her or learn more about her poetry, you can reach her through email and her Instagram account: cbartelsmills@gmail.com | @celine_b1
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