by Jessica Winnie | Her book, Everything I Am, is available for purchase by contacting the artist directly or via Amazon

Black mothers
We lay in bed
we cry and rock ourselves
To sleep with the lulling hums
of our great grandmother's rocking chairs
that sat on hot sweltering
Mississippi porches

Black mothers
We hide our tears by day break
The village has tending
Although our trowels are almost broken
Who will til the soil?
Water the seeds?
If we are left dehydrated
By the outpouring of
own own salted rivers

Black mothers
We wipe away the sorrows
with our self care check lists
our smiles only deceive those
who are not struggling with us
For the Ebony, Cocoa kissed, Caramel,
Butter Pecan, Ivory shades know
the secret look of history's passcodes
Head nods and side eyes
Code switching's finest,
That acknowledges our internal battles.
As we adjust our crowns
Pressing on
for victory is not won.

Black mothers
We arm ourselves with
books and bullets
Our knowledge of self preservation
Realizations of liberation
our children will live without
dehumanization and criminalization

Black mothers
We wear shades of resilience
After
marching..singing..cleaning..
cooking..gathering..mending..
washing. pouring..delivering..
speaking..defending and shooting.
We return to our homes
Where there is love waiting.

Black mothers
with offspring on the frontlines
They are not born from our wombs,
Yet they belong to us.
The descendants of Moses
Ready to part the sea and give their lives
So that Amerikkka will
Let our people go.

Black Mothers
We call on our ancestors
Nourished by their whispers
We breathe We exhale We pray
We drift off to sleep with the
distant lullaby, soft sweet
soothing sounds of
Sweet Honey reminding the soul
We who believe in freedom cannot rest.

Explore more of Jessica’s art is my activism through her social media: Instagram: everythingiamjw, Facebook: Everything I Am

Purchase her second collection of poems, Everything I Am, through Amazon or by contacting the artist directly.