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
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
posted by Naturally Me! at 5:17 PM
1 Comments:
This poem is so deep and a bit sad. Sad because my women have given up their very selves (their essence, if you will) in order to be liked and loved when they need to hold on to it to be what they were destined to be: the keepers and nurturers of all the promise and potential of mankind. This, I think, is one of your most important pieces. You are so good.
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