I Am One

In an ancient sky

the sun blazed upon a woman

the sun blessed a woman

whose cry of pain

cut to silence nature’s sounds

whose pain burst into

one joyous song

and the earth received one

of its own breath—

a dark girl child

who in time’s hand

became an African woman.

Beauty sang in her flesh.

dark as the midnight sea

rich as jeweled ebony

royal as the panther guarding her lair

she was

and Free

free as the clear night sky

untouched and pure.

Rapists of the night

stole her home

and cast her flesh into a void.

In the day she was shackled

and the night branded her

with painful cries

the pain of fear

that birthed a dark girl-child

tainted by lust

and Shame burned her flesh.

She was black as coal

and strove to keep

her sable gown unsoiled.

Yet, lost as a woman

whose cry of despair

birthed a dark girl-child

tainted by power

and her flesh wept Sorrow.

Brown was she as the fields

she toiled with hate

and Time threw her into womanhood

and her cry of pain

tore the white heat of day,

a cry of Anger

and dark girl-child born again

tainted by abuse

tainted by debasement

tainted by scorn.

For generations

through the tombs of slavery

through the gallows of rejection

through the hypocrisy of segregation

until Blackness once beautiful

is feared into ugliness.

For too long, far too long

out of this pain

a cry shatters to

silence

the world’s noise.

Out of an embryo of self-consciousness

arises cosmic awareness

I Am!

I am the Eternal Virgin in the “Land of the free”

Pure is my spirit amidst materiality.

From the womb of Mother Africa I arose

and in the tomb of Father America

I came into the unity of my identity.

“These are the times that try men’s souls”

these are the days love is valued less than gold

these are the hours Truth pierces the veil of lies

and we see True Spirits cannot die.

My name is Many

My name is All

My name is One.

I am a child of the Creative Force.

I am a Jewel in the Sun.

I am a Song upon the Wind.

I am rejoicing in the Light of Life

with Love I do sing.