They asked me what I wanted

Then told me I couldn’t have it.

Put freedom in a basket,

then made it illegal for me to carry it.

Cross your legs lil’ girl.

You too black lil’ girl.

Comb your hair lil’ girl.

Be a freak lil’ girl.

But be a good girl, girl.

Cook for him girl.

But don’t be no mans mama girl.

Damn, graduate girl.

But go to jail, that’s sexy girl.

Be a lil’ crazy he likes that shit girl.

Now act like you got some sense girl.

The dichotomy of it all.

The hypocrisy of it all.

Black women worked in fields, next to black men who don’t even love them now.

Tragic.

That the history of black love died out with patch jeans, and Blue Magic.

They call this a rant.

Or maybe another angry black woman.

Maybe another black disappointed  woman.

Or maybe another truth.

That in this here space.

And this here moment.

Maybe I was just being honest.

She light

Like feathers.

Cold like weather.

In Korea.

In December.

She warm

Like sunshine.

In Georgia.

She duplicitous.

She got ways.

She moves in waves.

On Friday, it’s Hennessy.

And Sunday, it’s tea.

Duplicity.

She moves like, rush…

Still like, hush.

When it’s lightning.

Grandma said be quiet.

She be laughin in secret.

She be smokin in the street.

She be wild…

She be complacent. She be everything

She fuckin feel like.

Ain’t nothin’ wrong with cryin’

In a crowd full of strangers.

Ain’t nobody immune to heartbreak baby girl.

Loss neither.

So, cry sis.

That ugly cry that makes your lips shake and yo’ nose run.

Then wipe them up with the hoodie he left behind.

And move tf on.

I be

overthinking

and

overreacting

to shit I don’t even care about.

I pray that you can stretch yourself

In a place big enough for the unusual.

Where you can stand up if you feel the need

Or dance when you feel the mood.

I pray that you find a place

Just big enough for you.

be light

feather float over troubles.

water seem shallow

when you’re weightless.

So..

close your eyes.

don’t carry

don’t pack

don’t lift

don’t try too hard.

Inhale.

The gently way.

Breathe.

The easy kind

and smile.

In a world full of broken things

find pieces to

connect to.

Find moments that make your knees shake.

And your heart skip from the excitement.

Smile

with all of your teeth.

Even the ones u forget to floss.

Laugh and scream

and dance

and love

and travel

and LIVE.

Live like tomorrow is some far away thought.

Like yesterday won’t be saved.

Like right now is all you got.

In this world of broken things.

Baby

you got to get happy.

She wakes up

with uncertainty in her bones

and sorrow in her sheets.

She walks to the bathroom with cold feet

soft heart

and closed eyes.

Stretching herself

and dressing herself

for today’s expectations.

She throws on her mask

And clears away her smile.

She is all ready.

She all set.

She guess.

Sunshine,

come out after the rain.

Boo love,

your rainbow just waitin’ ’til the storm ends.

This is for the rejuvenation

for the scars that take time to heal.

For the recovery

from the shit they don’t teach you how to get over.

This is for the mending

for the bending

that broke you.

This is aloe

plant it

water it on occasion

rub it in.

And heal.