My Daughter’s Skin

My daughter tells me, 
My skin is prettier than hers 
I look at her confused 
She has honey-coloured skin 
so flawless, it glows 
I love her beautiful sun-kissed skin 
And I tell her so 
But she tells me my skin is lighter,   
And that lighter skin is prettier 
I tell her light or dark, it doesn’t matter 
That one is not better than the other 
She links our bare arms together, 
And looks at me unconvinced. 
I remind her all skin tones are beautiful 
And that every shade is special 
I hope my words hold value 
In a world that has taught her different 
I look into her eyes, 
Her eyes, that mirror my own 
When will we stop and teach our daughters 
that they are so much more, 
than their skin tones?