NAME
say my name
quicken
my heart rate
CRY
cry so that the clay
that makes up your body
softens and does not harden
TRANSFORMATION
once it fell it stained
leaving a mark
with a different shape
than its original form
ANCESTORS
they imagined our existence
then theirs was questioned
SPIRITS IN THE COSMOS
when the people of the afros move
with a rhythm crocheting time and space
the ancestors are drawn to the earth from the cosmos
to whisper in the ears of the soul
the words of the universe
mounting heads like the crowns of kings and queens
manifesting the different versions of god
and relinquishing the secrets of the stars
when they body finds alignment
then the path is formed
shining light towards the infinite
lit by the many moons in the skies
ANTENNAS
as i travel through my head
navigate its hidden streets
it gets blacker
it gets stronger
it defies
gravity
the coils go ip
reaching for light
scattered across vast darkness
signaling to ancestors
their need for protection
RAIN
what happens to the spirit
when the vessel is broken
does it linger where it falls
like water after a vase is shattered
seeping out of the cracks
then evaporating into the skies
so that it can return as rain
cleansing where it once stood
EGUN
floating on sweet waters i tried to swim
but those on the white boat
told me to flow with the current
i couldn't see their faces
but i heard their voices
submerged
moving through vegetation
when washed away at shore
feet in the sand welcomed me
arms covered me in white cloth
asking me how was the journey
PALMTREE
i carried a palm tree
within my left arm
through black waters
feeling their depths
with every step
but coming out dry
when i reached my destination
SPACESHIPS
reaching the unknown
submerged in deep waters
they escaped the new world
not floating on the surface
but gliding in space
rather than swimming with the sharks
they swam in the heaves
still not able to breathe
some elevated into darkness
like the color of their earthly coating
others looked to the skies
for they needed a break from the land
that betrayed them
kept them in captivity
if only they had spaceships
to reach those who had drowned
DROWNED
bodies submerged
drowned in black waters
white cloth flowing
through ripples in the current
facing red skies
they rose but did not sink
they glided in place
looking with their eyes closed
VIBRATION
elevated
i saw a purpose
with my body
rather than my eyes
but when i came down
i forgot i had risen
FLOORBOARDS
camouflaging our bodies
within the floors of a house we built
laying the foundation
for those to walk on
but when they look down
they cant help but notice
our eyes staring back at theirs
HONEY
entering the hive
welcomed by its darkness
the buzzing came
then directed towards sweetness
LIPS
caught between my teeth
strands of hair slide off my lips
i am not gagung
as i talk
locks accumulate
turning my lips black
and full of stories of those before me
EDEN
black and brown bodies
in the garden
becoming the wind
via white gowns
caressing the roses
IYA
i stood in front of the market
welcomed by
black wives
black mothers
black witches
heads covered
in white
urging me to step in
ANTIVENIN
blackness wasn't ours
we have taken the word
spit it back into the face
of those who uttered it first
who deemed us black people
who labeled a ‘condition’
but when we say
‘i’m black’
they remember when they said it
when they said it with venom
coming out of their mouths
but they didn't realize
that the same poison
can be used to heal