a note of preparation

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.