Medium

Posted on by Reena Saxena

There is a peculiar Indian term “wheatish complexion” used for medium skin tones.

This poem is about a father’s hopes for his bright daughter, who does not rank high on the ‘light skin’ scales.

Her smiles
lovelier than 
flowers 
in full bloom
brighten my day
more than the sun


her almond eyes
twinkle with mirth,
love and trust-
as I hold her hand
teach her
how to walk


Her soft skin
ruffled by my
unshaven chin
falls short of 
established norms
of a fair maiden


A culture where
fairness of skin
defines beauty 
labels it wheatish
dark nor fair, 
just a little cutie


I know it anyway
my daughter will shine
with talent, courage
-belittle privileged
thoughts, which
call her average
Poetics: Waiting on Wheat

13 thoughts on “Medium”

  1. Of course, coming from Sweden I only knew fair skin… and here I do understand that it’s being normal… when I grew up I almost never saw anything dark.. it’s strange to even care about the skin color… but I guess we will have to continue to care.

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  2. Thank you for explaining the Indian term “wheatish” and its role in cultural norms.
    This father seems to understand his daughter will be more than her skin tones. A lesson for us all.

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  6. Yes, I think it’s a residue of British rule in India. I hate this weird concept that beauty means fair skin and that girls ( or even men) should use all means possible to become “white”!

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