I am a Perfectionist
by Tuka Loomma
I am a dark skinned woman.
So that means I have no room for mistakes.
I must do everything with my head up high & show no signs of weakness.
I do not have the mercy to be angry, to be upset, or depressed.
Instead, I have to be soft and gentle. Taking every lash and pain… because my skin screams fear and distress.
My body.
Is art.
Feeling every curvature with a textured image that every man feels they need to touch to get the better picture,
but if they knew how much the ones that fear me, envy me, they’d second guess before they even turn their heads in my direction.
The pigmented colors on my black skin is the artwork of the sun as it kisses my beautiful bold soul.
Sunflower.
I am the direction in which the sun shines. Glowing in what seems to be an endless ray of pure beauty and art.
I am black.
I am every color on this earth, absorbed, leaving no room for reflection because my melanin is the root of true beauty.
Indescribable, unattainable, beauty.
My black is perfect.
& so is yours.
Namaste, my name is Tuka and I am from Houston, Tx. I was born in Nigeria and moved to America when I was a young toddler. I have been constructing creative writing since I was 8 years old or so. Writing is everything I can’t express with my voice, so I express it in the words I write. I am a freelance writer and I am the founder of TheScenerytcl.blog. I have published research articles on psychological studies. My study on ‘TEDtalks Impact on Mental Health Stigma’ was published in the 2018 SWPA Newsletter at the annual SWPA Convention where I presented my work.
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What surprising, fascinating stuff can you tell us about the origin, drafting, and/or final version of “I am a Perfectionist”? I remember the first journal I ever had was given to me by my mom. I don’t think she realized how much that journal changed my perspective of the universe. When I first started writing “I am a Perfectionist,” I started to remember my childhood. I am a dark-skinned woman and as a child I felt like my skin color and gender defined my beauty and placement in the world. It took loving me and understanding the beauty that shines within me makes me a superwoman. My complexion is my beauty. “I am a Perfectionist” comes from the freedom of my insecurities and the bliss that came after.
Check out the write-up of the journal in The Writer.
Matter Press recently released titles from Meg Boscov, Abby Frucht, Robert McBrearty, Tori Bond, Kathy Fish, and Christopher Allen. Click here.
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Submissions
Poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction/prose poetry submissions are now closed. The reading period for standard submissions opens again September 15, 2025. Submit here.
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