QUEEN OF OUR ANCESTRY
By Chanelle Petty Barrett
Strong, beautiful black woman
Queen of our ancestry
Sound in wisdom
Self taught by life and life’s history
Her eyes, saddened by time
Have seen many atrocities
Injustices so vile
They’re beyond our sensibilities
Her ears, her tired ears
Have been plagued by a hundred lies
And the whisper of sweet promises, empty promises
The source of her anguished cries
Her nose, fine-tuned by experience
Can smell a predator miles away
But alas!
Seldom the one that makes her, his prey
Her mouth is a pool of wisdom
From which knowledge and teaching freely flow
A feathery pillow that soothes and comforts
A vipers’ nest, striking a stinging blow
Her shoulders, square and upright
Have borne many a burden heavy
Pain, suffering, loss, grief
Too much for anyone else to carry
Her breasts, round and full
Peak with bountiful ripeness
They have held the milk of life
Fed to those she gave her likeness
Her hands, firm and well-made
Have toiled for countless hours
Sun or rain, night or day
Fuelled and driven, the desire to survive was hers
Her wide and sturdy hips
With their trademark sway
Caused many suitors, wanted and unwanted
To come her way
Her legs, strong and powerful
Have run so many races
Away from abusers, away from broken dreams
Towards the vision of better times and places
Miraculously her feet have been
Planted on solid ground always
And there she has stood, all alone
The epitome of independence
Life has not broken
Strong beautiful black woman
She is no china doll
Instead, she has made life what she wanted it to become
Fire and passion still burn within her
Hopes and dreams lurk on horizons near
She still stands with head held high
Shoulders ready for life’s next trial
Her hands await work to be done
Her legs are in training for the next race to be run
She is undefeated
And sisters so will we be
For strong, beautiful black woman
Is Queen of our ancestry.
