“Can’t let nobody kill my soul and bring me down…”

As her sweet voice escaped from my earphones, 

one by one,

the frozen twigs transformed into enormous palm trees, each swaying with life 

 in the now   warming air.

Each riff and harmony floated through dark, grumbling clouds, painting strokes of bright blue 

over the winter night sky.

As I walked down the pier, 

earth and wood vibrated underneath me, 

and memories of classmates teasing my dark skin and my kinky hair washed away with the waves. 

Erykah brought life and summer into the darkest of environments. 

Now, 

The waves that used to taunt me, threaten me, invite me in

swayed and flowed under vocals of self-love, acceptance, and peace.