Ashy
A teacher’s meditations on skin care
and skin color
A whole world of
expletives out there,
yet one of the worst things you could call
my room full of black and Latinx teenagers is
ashy. Late last spring
I ordered a bulk supply of lotion
to keep in a drawer;
they pass it among themselves and
apply it liberally. Nowadays I take pride
in having a class of students who are
well
moisturized.
My skin gets dry in the winters, too,
but when I put on lotion
my skin doesn’t change color
the way theirs does —
that only happens when I feel things strongly and
my cheeks flush red.
Why do you turn so pink? they ask me;
once, Do white people get pimples?
Now I cannot get a blackhead without them
pointing it out.
I try not to mind. In the end, we are all teenagers
learning about our bodies.
Learning about each other.
Emma Jane LaPlante 2019
