It's a free world I won't hold you hostage with my pain Nor bless you with my covering We can make it through life On different paths We will meet up At the end I do think It would be better Together

 We groan to hold them up While you pump from their pain And gluttonize on their tears Demand agony in their sobs As in their love, they cannot be convinced That your love is poison As you salve one wound And cause the other As you soothe the inside You rip the flesh of you Beloved And ask her not to ooze So subtly But beg her to show you How your power to drain Life Looks Coming out of her

 My hair was meant to expand Not be straight It was meant to raise up To seek moisture in air To be playful Forcing me to chase it with my fingers, brush, and gel And still defy all three It was meant to have curls, strands racing around in a wave or coil that often changes And demand that I accept all of them My hair now reminds me of Joy Of teasing Of resistance Of demanding to be free And I get to wear this growing expansive crown It is Black, and it is Me. 

 Bury me somewhere where the sun shines often Bury me not far from the water Bury me where fruit fields and flowers create A beautiful sanctuary around me Around my people Bury me where my children will visit me in the bush And remember our first home Before our souls became homeless Several times over As we look at those we love Let's bury ourselves In their eyes Their tongues Their hearts  Let us become one another Not letting our resolve truly die or disappear Let us figure out where we can foresee our deepest rest Let us be buried together there

 We can't afford not to feel We can't afford not to speak We can't affort to live in a daze of "seen it all before" "it will never stop" If we are to survive We must learn to look ahead And walk forward Without ceding the torch They crave To light their own lives And to burn ours down Be relentless.  Be forceful. Be glaring. Be ready to burn it all To refuse to be tricked into pity Make them think you've forgotten And you've given up And shock them  Without grace And with all the strength you have Call back your power without apology And intend to use it Fuel one another Create plans of Never-Ending-Days Where they must beg you For your permission to breathe And then you decide

 How did you still your breath When the sight of your body Brought forth rage and terror against you When your children Made a mistake In public How did you still your breath When you spoke your language And they heard you How did you still your breath When any noise Meant the end When a cry or pain Could not be afforded Hod did you still your breath When you body and womb Were invaded How did you keep the children quiet How did you still your breath And gate your tongue When you knew  Every declaration Was against  Your freedom? Your worthiness? Your safety? Your children't longevity? How did you still your breath