I will not be the bridge to your womanhood Your manhood Your humanness
I’m sick of reminding you not to Close off too tight for too long
I’m sick of mediating with your worst self On behalf of your better selves
I am sick Of having to remind you To breathe Before you suffocate Your own fool self
Forget it Stretch or drown Evolve or die
The bridge I must be Is the bridge to my own power I must translate My own fears Mediate My own weaknesses
I must be the bridge to nowhere But my true self And then I will be useful (donna kate rushin)
a litany for survival
And when the sun rises we are afraid it might not remain when the sun sets we are afraid it might not rise in the morning when our stomachs are full we are afraid of indigestion when our stomachs are empty we are afraid we may never eat again when we are loved we are afraid love will vanish when we are alone we are afraid love will never return and when we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard nor welcomed but when we are silent we are still afraid
So it is better to speak remembering we were never meant to survive (audre lorde)
for south african women
And who will join this standing up and the ones who stood without sweet company will sing and sing back into the mountains and if necessary even under the sea:
we are the ones we have been waiting for. (june jordan)
(untitled)
I want to tell them that we have no right to spring because our sisters and brothers are burning because every year the oil grows thicker and even the earth is crying because Black is beautiful but currently going out of style that we must be very strong and love each other in order to go on living. (audre lorde)
4 Friday 9/14/01
some of us know we have never felt safe
all of us americans weeping
as some of us have wept before
is it treason to remember
what have we done to deserve such villainy
nothing we reassure ourselves nothing (lucille clifton)
