“Writing can be a lifeline, especially when your existence has been denied, especially when you have been left on the margins, especially when your life and process of growth have been subjected to attempts at strangulation.”

— Micere Githae Mugo

Black Mommas

I lie awake at night.

Slowly dying on the inside.

I am a Black momma.

I am supposed to be strong.

I am afraid.

I am weak.

I cannot breathe.

I feel the world’s hate.

I cannot protect my kids.

I call on the ancestors for protection.

Nothing new under the sun.

Black mommas did this centuries before.

Black mommas

kidnapped

trafficked

laid in filth on ships

worked plantations

raped

birthed Black babies in fields

suckled white babies in Big House

cried at the foot of trees.

Black mommas

supposed to be strong

afraid

weak

cannot breathe.

Called on the ancestors for protection.

They survived.

I will survive.

Vedia BarnettMarch 18, 2021Comment