“No matter how much love I get from newcomers, I’ll never forget

those who were there from the beginning. And if my newcomers are here

to stay, they’ll respect that.”

Black Girl Fly

She gets told that her hair is unprofessional

and her body’s too sexual,

That if she’d just straighten it and cover up

she wouldn’t be so unacceptable.

People are surprised at her poise

and the fact that she’s intellectual

Because she doesn’t smack her gum

and roll her neck like she’s expected to

And the ideal beauty pedestal

don’t belong to girls who look like her

Even when it comes to her own brothers,

and deep down that hurts

Like, she’s a default choice

by men she grew up being taught to put first.

Then her sisters feel privileged to be light-skinned,

as if dark skin is a curse.

Businesses won’t promote her up the ladder

but promote products to her to buy,

And she’s always welcome on reality TV

because people love a good black cat fight.

Respectfully she’ll decline

just to scroll down her timeline

And get mocked left and right

with people saying how, “Bitches be like”

She’s told she can give birth to a black man,

but not desired by one.

She can get sexed by a white man,

and should spend her life tryna get wifed by one,

But being sought out and respected,

courted with a genuine connection

that’s manifested and invested in

by a man is asking too much.

When she doesn’t look for a handout,

they tell her that she’s being ungrateful.

When she rejects sympathy,

she’s seen as bitter and hateful

At times she questions if it’s really worth it

to be so strong.

The more she stands tall

the more she’s a target to try and make fall

But then she remembers,

through the voice of her God-given intuition

That if it wasn’t for her,

then there would be no human existence

And while her aesthetic blessings

are far from her definition, women

all over pay doctors to make their bodies

do their best black girl rendition.

As Queen Hatshepsut

she was a successful ruler in Egypt

And even as a slave woman

she led thousands to freedom.

She revolutionized civil rights

all while being seated,

And presently, her mentee

is the most powerful man of the free world.

The lies that blind society

were also meant to fog her mirror

To only show her a pretty picture

and not the true depth of her potential

So that she could accept what is given

and pass that down to her children,

But through trying to break her

they only caused her spirit to strengthen

So her vision is clearer.

Now she’s one of the most college-educated

And employed at higher rates than

even her own brothers who hated,

And for those of us smart enough to see

that with her we’re a stronger team

She’s the glue of black families

 

who’re bringing back our queens and our kings.

She’s Black Girl Fly.