rant: three beautiful brown girls, mashaAllah

walking to pick up
two of my girls from school
with aya on my hip,
i saw an acquaintance that i hadn’t seen in a while.
we exchanged greetings
and she went to comment on how aya had grown.
yes, she’s a chunky baby due to the beneficial ingredients of mother’s milk, alHamdullilah.
but she continued on:
she was very dark when she was born,
but now she is lighter.
halwa.

i smiled an uncomfortable smile
and shrugged my shoulders
due to lack of words in both english and arabic.

but the conversation keeps ringing in my head,
pressing lightly but consistently on a nerve.

i’m trying not to defensively
put my hands on my hips
and roll my neck
and cut my eyes
and say some sharp words.

maybe i should quote a dawud wharnsby song:

Allah made us all a different shade and colour.
Nations and tribes recognize one another!
’cause every single person is your sister or brother.
So many different colours of Islam.

Fill the world with colour, paint it everywhere you go.
Paint everything you see, and tell everyone you know.
Qur’an will be your paint, and your brush will be iman,
So fill the world with colour, every colour of Islam.

i feel a little bit better,
but let me say this, يا أختي (my sister):
i love all my girls
in the color they came in
and in any color they will naturally turn.

and just in case you’re thinking it:
i don’t need your dua that my next one is a boy.
having all girls is just fine by me
and a blessing from Allah.