It’s been a long time
since
I’ve written a poem
There have been new
babies, and old loves
There have been plenty
miracles,
&
tragedies
executions and Nobel Prizes
for three brown women
Thousands of girls have
been sold into lives of
sex
&
servitude
Emcees have brilliantly
stood on the shoulders of
Angela Y. Davis and Nana Yaa Asantewaa
with rhymes I want
to whisper like lullabies
to my unborn children
Heads of state have been
assassinated and the NYPD
has yet to storm into
Wall Street offices the way they have
trampled us in our homes
Movies have been made
exploring sisters’ obsession
with long, straight hair
&
wearing colored contacts
hasn’t seemed to go
out of style
Reality television
has enabled everyday people
to witness that money
doesn’t buy happiness
and
Twitter has helped youth build
movements
The move to elect Obama
has meant we are now also
comfortable with pointing fingers
&
so so so so many more
are directed back at us
Brothers are once again dressing
like they love themselves
and
Mumia is getting a new trial
There are white people
in Bed-Stuy
(I repeat)
There are white people
in Bed-Stuy
&
Biggie’s case is still
open
Our boys continue to die
on BART platforms
&
via lethal injection
&
fighting for some white man
in Texas or DC or New York City
to maintain their piece
of their 99% of the global pie
We #occupy the same
spaces, breathe
the same air, make
babies the same way
I believe that
Happiness is the 21st Century Revolution
I think that
Wellness is the 21st Century Revolution
Perhaps
Gratitude is the 21st Century Revolution
No wait
Love is the 21st Century Revolution
We are trading our
black leather gloves for
Joy
our NAACP memberships for
Laughter
trading our college loans for
Compassion
& pirated cds for
Forgiveness
our baseball cards in plastic
and barbies in boxes for
Belief and Initiative
Bc there is Taraji
There is Syreeta
Bc there is Tatyana
There is Nyree
Bc there is Angela
There is Jamilah
Bc there is Beverly
There is me
In the beginning
was the word
& my declaration of independence
begins with
“I am a Black Girl who Rocks...”
