We were too much for this world to bear
We were way too early
And for that reason, we didn't stand a chance
but when I pray
I know it's not a mistake that we are living
We soften the land, for the seeds to be planted
This is the world that we were given
Symphonies will play in our honor
When the sun catches up with the rain

Lost myself in a man

Lost myself in a man
Saw my children in his eyes
Saw our marriage in a church
Picked out by his mother
Lost myself in a man
And forgot all my plans
With the weight of responsibility
I forgot, I never knew, I never wanted
Lost myself in a man
Who found himself in me
Saw his success in my eyes
And a receipt for my life
At the end of a long ceremony
Lost my place in a book
Lost my way on a road
Locked my keys in my car
Lost my tv remote
Lost myself in a man for a moment
With dreams I never knew, I never wanted

And that's why I love you...

Sometimes you wonder why I love you so
But the reasons, I think you already know
The way you smile, the way you drive
Your presence can turn a room alive
The sacrifices made, before we met
The goals you've accomplished, the goals you've set
We're so alike,
our pain our path
Our happiness
Our cries, our laughs
It takes a lot to be a man
There's many who can't
but you've shown me, there's one who can
I can't believe there's someone else out there
Who's just like me
Except more so
And you wonder why I love you
I think you already know
You are so intelligent
You put me to shame
But you're that much more interesting all the same
You don't hide behind a fear of expressing yourself
Your logic so appropriate
Your mind's in good health
You're man enough to admit when you're right, when you're wrong
In spirit and mind, we sing the same song
Life hits us different ways, but I've never gotten the notion
I'd have to babysit your life, or babysit your emotions
So off to separate lives we lead
We give sometimes until there's nothing left
But I never feel a burden in or out of your company
Just the thought of you makes me release a long, deep breath
Of all the people, how'd I meet you?
I think to myself...the two of us
Have known each other all along
The gods have smiled...how fortuitous!

A Black Woman's Prayer

Delicate features and "good" hair
Just a watered down version of a Black woman's prayer
I wish my African features would kick in right now
And give me strength and dignity so I can be proud
This fragile blood
Comes at a robust price
We were once a mean people
but now we're just nice
Petite noses, petite state of mind
Soft hair, soft hands, soft behind
Manicured nails not able to handle the task of raising a stable generation,
A new standard of beauty easily leads us down a road of temptation
We had an inner strength so abundant, we loved our own with enough love
To raise them with care
We loved them so much that we didn't just show up
We were there
How we loved our boys, so much we let them grow into men
How we loved ourselves so much that it showed within
So I am on my knees and my head is bowed, Lord I know
We are attempting to overcome being pigeonholed
Despite how easily we assume those roles
Some women climb corporate ladders
While others slide down poles
And others hold onto a man
Even when there's nothing left to hold
Please Lord, take away this outer beauty
Please Lord I'm scared for my baby
Gyrating to African drums
Without African strength

I wish her features would kick in when
She is tested
If happiness is cut short at birth
If she has no father and forgets her worth
If her mother is a fool and her life gets worst
Lord take away this horrible curse
Before she crumbles under the weight of excuses
That her ancestors couldn't afford to use
Because they were once abused and although they escaped it
Lord, we're much weaker now
I wish our African features would kick in
and back then
what didn't kill you made you stronger
But now it nips you in the bud
And we cling to excuses
Must be that European blood
And lord, we actually ask you
For this fleeting power that disappears with age
Puts a target on our foreheads, sometimes trapping us in a cage
Sexuality as a means of gain, use what you got
To get what you want
Please Lord, tell me I got more than a small voice
and a big butt

Trying to be someone's baby girl
When my babies need a Mammy
Damn, I miss big Momma
What happened to the black family?
The only thing left from Africa was permed and dyed
And some of us just got to learn to put our childish dreams aside
And become the women we were when we laid down
Lord, I wish my African features would kick in right now