you have ten minutes or less to write a poem, then post it with this subject line

cybernetic future, wires through her veins
she feels the pulse of information in place of emotion
emo poetry and pro-ana make her suck her cheeks in
she regards herself in the mirror and camwhores
camera in her eyes and the click of her eyelids
the perfect old-style camera covers

her smile is black and every tooth is lettered
her canine teeth are enter keys and her tongue
is made of cables braided together

she is the perfect girl for this digital world
she is a creation of her own self-loathing

humanity was never worth it
humans never deserved her

now she is unique

and tomorrow
there will be a million more like her
marching down the assembly line
demanding android rights

IBARW: My black skin glinted in the sunlight.

It's International Blog Against Racism Week. Exams are killing my free time at the moment, but I wanted to share a quick note from my Harlem Renaissance class.

Toni Morrison, while teaching a class my professor took, pointed out that a white author, when trying write from a PoC's pov, wrote, "My black skin glinted in the sunlight" and that no black person would actually look down at their skin and think that.

It took me a second to figure out what she was saying but you know, she's right. In the mornings, do you think "I have to brush my blonde hair" or "I must rub lotion into my pink skin"? Unless you've been reminded that you're Other because of your skin color, or you're sunburnt, you are very unlikely to use an adjective to describe its color.

Apart from which, black? Really? Who actually has black skin? Brown, yes. Dark, dark brown, yes. Ebony, sure. Actual matte black, to the point that you look at it and think with no irony or cultural labeling, 'black'?

Which of the following two sentences makes more sense to you?

My skin itches.

OR

My black skin itches.

Personally, the first rings a lot more like something I'd actually think and less like clumsy writing.

So! Quick, friendly tip to anyone out there thinking of writing a Character of Color: Don't constantly bring up their skin color for no reason except to prove it's a CoC.

It's great you're writing CoCs. It really is. Just be careful not to over-emphasize the physical differences in case it ends up sounding jarringly wrong.

And on a totally different note, basic accounts are back! The news post actually had some good news for a change.