Black Woman

Unshackled, unleashed, freed

Strutting, head held high with confidence

Eyes filled with fire, body driven by intent 

No longer imprisoned by their focus

No longer intimidated by the competition.

Really, there is no competition.

Chin up, stomach in, eyes shining, a fire lit and raging

Mouth curled as if with the very taste of my victory 

And ultimately, irrevocably their demise.

Once imprisoned by my now defeated opressors 

I stand on the ashes of their memory,

They are indeed nothing but a very faint memory.

Now gone and forgotten, finally I have won,

If only I had known then, what I have gleaned now,

Then defeated they would have been ages ago.

Years spent in the shadows of what I thought to be better, 

To be greater or of more value, more of necessity,

Years spent wandering blindly in the dark and stumbling over my own feet.

Countless years spent hiding in a prison called the background,

Well hiding time is up and I'm breaking out of this joint, 

I will live what I want to see, I will be what I want to be

No longer molded, contorted or bent into the shape 

The world expects to see, the images, the sounds, the styles

Those just aren't me.

I am black, I am woman, I powerful, I am me,

I am graceful, intelligent, sensual, exotic, liberated,

I was created with curves, not necessarily that of Coca cola bottle 

I am vivacious, eccentric, the life of this party, my party

I dance to my own rythyms and I am never out of tune.

I sing the melodies of lessons learned and batlles fought.

I have broken out the prison, I have been emaniciapted,

I am not trapped neither am I fooled by the images you've created,

No longer blinded into belief that the stick figured blond barbie is who I was meant to be.

Stop filling the minds of our women with the illusions of your industry, 

They are not size 2's and they were never meant to be. 

They are black godesses and nothing short of amazing. 

We were made with curves, like the River Nile,

And  rises and falls like the Kilamanjaro,

Our lips are full, and tinted reds and pinks and vibrant colours of the rainbow.

Our hips are wide and we move with grace, 

Our voices sooth and are rich with the history from which we've been bread 

We sing in melodies that can never be matched, each note accented by our personalities 

We teach, we care, we defend, we protect, we are phenominal, we are black women 

Women who need to stand proud, stand educated, stand for something,

Stand if not for yourself then for the little black girl with the hard kinks and very little curl

Teach her that her kinks are special and that her story has not be written

Give her the tools to create that story without flaws how she wants it

Teach her that she's special and don't let them imprison her in the jails of their illusions!!!!!!