Leaving nothing to chance, luck or speculation
I have this new realization
I'm a safe bet
The cards are stacked in my favor
Not a victim of some wicked plot, scheme, or attack plan
Today I woke up A Black Man
No longer enslaved by the images that once defined me
I woke up with a light so bright it blinds me
Today I woke up A Black Man
My clothes no longer fit me
My chest pokes out a bit further
My arms reach a bit higher
Even my hat fits snug
My brain has increased its capacity
Enlarged by my own audacity
I can be more than a thug, a pimp, or the crack man
Today I woke up A Black Man
The generational curse has been broken
My journey needs only this token
This fee
That I choose to believe in me
That I set free the thoughts of pain, stress and strain
That I accept the responsibility that greatness is my probability
Today I woke up A Black Man
Not shackled by how the world sees me
What matters most is how I see me
A seed snatched from the equator
The most beautiful reflection of my creator
Fear and failure are simply a distraction
Today my future found traction
Today I woke up A Black Man
I have twenty-twenty vision
Courage, hope, and honor is my daily mission
I'm no longer a gamble
Leaving nothing to chance, luck, or speculation
I have this new realization
I'm a safe bet
The cards are stacked in my favor
Don't you dare suggest these words aren't fact man
Today I woke up A Black Man
Good stuff...
ReplyDeleteThat is a moving poem. I feel the same way about myself now. I don't carry racial baggage anymore.
ReplyDeleteBlackgirl & Bronze Trinity - One of the great things about having a blog is that I can place some of the great email-forwards that i get here instead of forwarding it to another large email distribution list. I rec'd this early this morning. I have no idea where it got started...
ReplyDeleteThis poem is wonderful! Much obliged for posting it and for your encouraging comment over at SjP's.
ReplyDeleteSojourner - I have been finding it hard to create time for blogging activity in recent weeks. I am trying hard to catch up. Anyhow, I enjoyed this poem when I saw it. I figured that others might enjoy it as well...
ReplyDelete(raising clenched first)
ReplyDeleteRight on!
Monica - Your 'raised fist' comment comes the day after I watched (again) Denzel's performance in 'Remember the Titans'. There is a great scene with the Black linebacker tapes up a photo of the Black Olympians holding up their fist on the medal stand in Mexico City.
ReplyDelete(Clenched fist rises up with pride)!!!!
Hey there Villager!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this!
By the way, we need all hands on deck for the protest of the racist disparagement of the black scholar, Dr. Yolanda Pierce.
http://blackwomenblowthetrumpet.blogspot.com/2008/11/flickering-flame-of-hipster-racism-at.html
Peace, blessings and DUNAMIS!
Lisa
Lisa - See our sidebar. We join you in demanding action. We encourage our villagers to pick up their spears and join you/your blog in this fight...
ReplyDelete