Angels made of charcoal outlines (For the little girl who was told she was too dark to be human)
Location
There was a time in this country it was a sin to be black,
when limp bodies dangled like bloated, forbidden fruit
and ‘coon’ was considered a pet name.
Darling of mine, don’t let them scare you
they are afraid of the rumble in your bones,
the universe of brilliance spinning at the tips of your fingers.
When they say things like,
“You’re beautiful…for a black girl”
you see, they are not just colorblind
ignorant that it is your skin cradling their white stars in the sky,
when they try to say you are just a slave’s bastard child
you tell them, no get it right,
my ancestors carried your nation’s root on our backs
with hands rich with soil from the promise land.
Your skin descended from the survival of rape and scorched earth
from all that charred and burnt flesh
we grew flowers and the world anew.
You tell them:
you are no one’s cattle
you are the one who survived
We are the ones who survived and carried on.
Comments
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Kunleade
Yas
mitchiivo
Thank you for saying the things that so many have been holding in deep inside themselves. You're truly inspirational.
destiny.diaz.7393
This is incredible, I wish I were to have such a talent. The imagery is quite vivid and the cohesion of your words is easy to follow! Your poem was heart-touching and I look forward to reading more :)
lionthelostgirl
So beautiful. My heart is beating fast. Well done.
RenewMe27
WOW. I love this :) Thank you for sharing
bazzoun
Phenomenal
OnTheRebound
Wow. This was a very nice poem. I appreciate that you added a video onto it as well. Slavery of human beings is a horrible practice (though still done widely in the world). It seems a lot of people act as if our modern American society is still encumbered by this sin however. Discrimination? I don't see it. Oppression? I have personally never seen prejudice against a "black" person (unless said stupidly by some careless fool). A lot of times, "black" kids are the ones alluding to skin color and racial barriers. Perhaps there has been direct, personal, and sinister evidence of racism in your life or the life of the girl you direct your poem to, but I haven't seen it against anyone in my life. I'm sorry. Even if there is actual racism beyond the delusional reality set up by the media and the public mind, Jesus Christ died for every man, no matter the dose of melanin gracing their temporary bodies. Forgiveness; it is all about forgiveness. I can promise there is absolutely no racism from the government against the people, but if there is prejudice in the heart of one American against another, that is something that we as citizens and fellow neighbors need to work out one-on-one with love in our hearts and peace in our minds.
addilynduarte
I am in love. This hit me so hard. Thank you.
MarKaveus
I love this ! Very well spoken
just another casualty
what a refreshing perspective!
Dani_123
Wow! Super powerful words and great writing. Nice job and keep writing!
Chel_olu
Beautifully said, you tell them! Soul sister <3
Jkrouse
holy shit this is amazing.