figure 10

In the blackness

In the woman-ness

Standing tall and often alone But not alone

Always surrounded by and looking up to all others.

The white men

The white women

The gay men

The black men.

All the black men

Stacked on top of my shoulders

Struggling like me

But not like me

Stretching, reaching up, and pushing down all at once

Not remembering my shoulders when their faces finally feel the sun

Asking why my shoulders are bruised

Why my back is broken, My breath short, My eyes weary

And ain’t I a woman?

I smile to myself

I cry to myself

I hold myself dear

Who I Am . . . A Poem for Black Women - Marie Deveaux