note: this is from a collection i'm working on with the title "for sisters who fear their own magnificence." our mothers and grandmothers started with less than not much but through faith in God, their families, their communities and churches they overcame almost all the obstacles. it is my belief that we must start to summon this spirit just to keep ourselves and our families "afloat."
preparation
by
jacquese armstrong
and
i am walking through
the
jungle
my
gait sober steady
i
smell the humid air and know
the
rains are coming
i
don’t want to take shelter
the
jungle needs me
and
i am walking through the jungle
hear
the thunderous roar sense
the
flash of light coming next and
if
it strikes it strikes
i
will comfort others
i
do what i can to protect my own
i
am not alone
we
are many
and
many have come
before
us
sojourners
in these states
sojourners
on the earth
harriet
tubman, “the original” sojourner truth, ida b wells,
madame
c j walker, mary mcloud bethune, zora neale hurston, gwendolyn brooks,
abbie
lincoln, fannie lou hamer, rosa parks, bessie kyles, lena thomas, loree
armstrong,
carolyn
rodgers, isis originile…
their
spirits mix with ours
inspire/
color/
revive/
ashe,
ashe
magnificent
female warrior ancestors
the
numbers cannot be named
strong
sturdy spirits
and
their spirits mix with ours
we
cannot help
but
be encouraged
have
faith in our heaping spoons of
foresight
and courage
we
must always look to fill a need
and
their spirits mix with ours
we
are the children
we
the living
we
are guards of inheritance
…when
the Power descends
we
will come together
and
the sister revolution will begin
the
battle fought with wit and intellect
courage
and encouragement
each
within our own discipline
each
a part of the Universal…
Shine
on my sister ancestors
you
are only numbered
by
the stars on cobalt blue
begin
to Shine
my
sisters
we
are needed in the Universe
to
balance the Power of Light.
