Cornerstone Ministries Inc.
I, Pour
I pour out my heart to you
But you can never understand,
You’re another white lady, another white man
Why do I even bother to open my mouth
I’m just another black girl trying not to be a victim of the South
Harvard educated, yet with you it’s always a surprise
Surprised that I got in?
Surprised that I got out?
I can never tell by the timbre of your voice
Whether you think Affirmative Action got me there
(Or here)
Or whether it was actually by the selector’s choice
Either way Affirmative Action didn’t show up to take my test
Or write my papers, or study for the bar,
by the grace of God, I’ve come this far!
So why do I pour out my heart to you
Who can never, ever understand
How it feels to live in the skin of a black woman or black man?
Our beauty lies in the songs upon our lips
That sing of joy and peace
when the world gives us unrelenting chaos and grief
Our beauty survives in the child upon our hips
That we bring into a sin-stained world
Where we work tirelessly for a brighter, better tomorrow
With patience and hope that our children
Won’t have to endure these sorrows
Our beauty thrives in this black skin
Descendants of Kings and Queens
With dominion over the dirt from which we were formed
We cultivated lands, built pyramids, navigated by the stars
We calculated to predict times and mark seasons
We congregated to give thanks to God from whom all things come
So we pour out our hearts to you
To help you understand
How to celebrate our beauty
Without judgment or sleight of hand
To tell you of our heritage that historians didn’t put in books
Heritage that’s not in rap songs with catchy hooks
Patriotism of Robert Smalls, Hazel W. Johnson, Martin Robinson Delany;
he was the first black commissioned Major in Union Army history,
fighting to set his people free
Leadership of Matthias deSousa, George Edwin Taylor, Crystal Bird Fauset;
she rose from educator to first black female state legislator
Scientific breakthroughs of Judy Reed, Thomas Jennings, James McCune Smith - another African American first in medicine
that history would rather jettison
Literary works of St. Augustine of Hippo, Octavia Butler, Mildred Taylor’s - “Song of the Trees;” how many times did America
seek to cash in, cut us down, knock us to our knees
Music with the likes of Marian Anderson, Paul Robeson, Nina Simone- “And everybody knows about Mississippi God...”
Yes Ma’am! Ms. Simone! Yes Ma’am!
These are but a few of the myriad of things recorded
Many more lie buried, untold, waiting for the curious, beaconing to the bold
So, we will pour out our hearts until you hear our plea:
“Open your eyes, look past my black skin; see the person God created, the fearful, wonderful soul within.”
© 2020-2021 Inez Canada