A Body Weighed Heavy by History

They say shame dies in the light

But when your lineage is littered with lit flares

And hole-in-the-wall eye-blinding brilliance

It’s hard to hold the broken places you’ve come from

-

But liberation, is a clear night sky

Birds louder than the open-air prison buzz

Seedlings getting to see the sun, open petaled and swaying in

A chemical-free breeze

-

My body carries this shame, of those who knew and still continue

Those who suffered but paid it back in full

Knowingly, unknowingly

Freely, forced

-

There’s fear wrapped iron-tight around this truth

Cuts off vocal chords and binds hands behind backs

Erasing

Annihilating

Voices like rubble

-

But I am not just my stolen blood

I am bone, and muscle, and heart

Grown and open-petaled to the shame

And to the redemption

-

One hand

Truth

Flowing clear

The sea

-

The river

Endless

The other

Revolution

~~~

This poem was a response to the first 4Words prompt over on our Instagram.

If you liked it, go check it out, and also check out our Virtual Writing Retreat happening at the end of the month. Registration is free and required to receive the event link!