All That I Am

CATEGORY

I am not who you think I am.
I am more than your
benighted mind could
ever begin to conceive.
I am not the b*tch, ho, boo,
dime piece, chicken head,
hoochie, slut, cunt, trick, shawty
or any other derogatory annotation
you see fit to catorgarize me into.
I have been defined by words of ignorance
because the origin of my existence is a
truth hidden in a universe of
of lies; a stigma synonymous with my heritage
telling me I was bred out of ignorance
and born to be inferior.
A truth that has been distorted by
tainted images of my brown skinned self,
degrading my body for money and attention.
Lies teaching you and me that all I am
and all that I can be is a baby mama,
video vixen, welfare recipient,
or the “thing” he keeps on the side.
They teach me to look at myself through the eyes of others
without seeing my true beauty through
the consciousness of my own mind.
You see, I know my truth.
I know I am a sun-kissed goddess
who in my lifetime of times before reigned as a
Queen of the highest regards.
I know my beauty extends beyond
the majestic build of my shapely physique;
though I can understand why
the fullness of my breast might
cause one to thirst,
the ampleness of my backside
might cause one to hunger,
and the confidence I project might
cause my figure to “linger” in the eyes
of my beholders.
Although that is a portion of who I am,
I am more than that.
I am a woman born from women who
cultivated their families and their
communities with the belief that family raises family.
My lineage is made up of women whose strength
surpassed any circumstance that blocked their path
and whose faith guided them through.
Women who didn’t answer to a name other
than their own, commanding respect and earning it
for how they carried and respected themselves.
And women who came from a time where
their men protected them.
Men who would let no hurt or harm
come their way.
Men who saw them for what
they were meant to be; a gift
birthed from his rib,
taken from his body only to be given
back to him as a blessing from the Most High.
Now instead of “them” calling us bed warmers,
You call us hos.
“They” called us wenches.
You call us es.
“They” took our bodies and planted seeds for us to bear alone.
We give ourselves to you and you plant seeds for us to raise alone.
“They” saw us as the dirt beneath their feet
and now you walk all over us.
You were our security.
and now you make us insecure.
There was a time when you would stand
up for us.
Now you look down on us.
Our value has diminished in your eyes
Because “you’ve” become “them“.
But nevertheless, I know my worth.
I walk with confidence because I know no other way.
I am strong because of the weights I’ve carried.
I answer to no other name than my own
because I know who and what I am...a Queen.
I command respect because I respect myself.
And I know the beauty I possess within myself far
exceeds that of what which your eyes enable you to see.
I am the foundation of life.
I was created by the Creator to
give life,
to feed life,
to care for life,
and to be loved for life.
I am more than you think I am.
I am the best part of you
And until you realize that,
I’ll be all you could ever want.
and everything you’ll never have.