long before “we” were born
we were lost in visions of unilateral beautalities…
& we are…
ere “our” time,
theirStory blanketed ours,
their truth had been bought, taught, published…..it was
and so it was digested…it was learned;
we’re living it…each of Our life’s times’ now,
as our elders lived each of theirs’
& She’s tried to present Her place…
Truth
& we continue to leave Her homeless…
going on suffering our inner wars,
having belly- toils, pain laced hearts & sick scars…
trying to cypher internal confusions brewing,
wondering why we had to sit perfectly still….for hours at stoves,
scalps sizzling, like Nana’s beef stewing,
chemical straighteners to look someone’s “norm”,
attempting & attaining unbent coils,
to appear like the acceptable, trying to outrun the eyes of our storms,
increased internal & external damages,
at any cost…. We did… We do…,
as if our birth crowns are sins…,
having stomached the sayings of “the presenters….of their truths”
we lost all adoration of Self,
“No love of Me”
Our torment…“pretty” by their standards,
not by individual true rights,
…by the measures inoculated in black souls,
completely blinding Our sight
bind-ed
not only by slave owners & masters of straight hair and blue eyes,
*got that- straight, not straightened*
But, by the comfort-ability of Ourselves!
….accepting deplorable value, by those of no higher measure,
fighting not for the beauty, the power, the love within,
the strength of ancient, of all times, where there’s no need to pretend.
Now, some seeking & conquering Our reality,
finding lost truths & connecting roots,
do so, only to have condemnation & judgment
thrown at our self-enlightenment,
from our own blood.
denial of the never-known,
of OurHistory,
knowledge of Self & Self-love,
that which was never lost to us,
but never known to us;
pain inherited…. Impregnated…
unconsciously, anciently severe…
none has chosen to be…
to be “them”, to be “you”, to be “me”
to be “us”
……we were gifted…Blessed!
yet, never embracing or conquering old fears,
nor hurt, pain, or confusion….the tears,
…the internal enslavement of Our souls for years!
it’s time to fight the oppression ….time to fend!
to break the cycles of mental & intimate slavery! Time to send…
the message: they “thought” they were free,
& then so did we…. now we see…
…..the time is at hand.
…free on the paper and soul shackled,
externally disguised & internally confined,
fronting the part of someone else’s lie…
Confounded.
refusing to stand for freedom, to love Your Natural Beauty…
God created.
Yet afraid to demand…
to awaken in peace, In the color of your own skins,
In the puffiness of your strands, The curves of your stance,
In the erotic-luptuousness of your lips, The fullness of your hips,
The strength inherited!!
The way You were created!!
Created to remain in the image of Our production!!
….the images of our perfect, brilliant reproductions.
why must we alter us to fit the diseased minds? …
whose mental states, refuse them the capabilities of vision,
of the beauty in uniqueness, but instead created divisions…
It’s because we’ve contracted the disease
But there is a cure...
Its name is Awaken.
Awaken from your slumber.
Recognize the spell we’ve been under.
“Such beautiful full coils, just pin it up right there…Cute. ...skins dark and smooth….”
“You looking so good & fine my black man….You love this song too! Let’s groove”.
…..as she walked away from the mirror.
Look into the mirror.
….Into Yourself
Know Yourself.
We were created The Image of Beauty, as it exists at all.
Recognize what’s going on around us, knock down your walls.
OurStory is diminishing,
being completely replaced by hisStory
know yourself and the truth of yourStory.
© LeTisha.Bowie 8/3/12
