They say she talks too loud

laughs too hard-

Unable to understand her polyrhythm way of speaking-they call her crazy.

She finds her strength lies not in the discovery of how much she can bear,

No ———-

It reveals itself in the hungry rise and labored tilt of her magnificent crown.

In her dreams she sees the stoic face of her great great great grandmother

In the dark, she hears their wild, rapid call and response chanting as they’re forced onto the auction block.

She finds her strength lies in the tilted arch of her back and the urgent —

fervent step of her walk.

Her superpowers revealing themselves each time she speaks-

her thunderous voice rumbling walls,

In silence ———

upon her face a thousand years reveal many women-

she inhales their quiet pains, absorbs their broken dreams, 

She dances in their  memory, celebrating time and distance

Remembering ——–

She does not fear the long goodbye

instead she embraces the unknown journey with serenity –

welcomes the ride with open arms