Was my skin too dark for you?
Was my hair too coarse for you?
Was my voice too loud for you?
Could you not handle the dip in my hips
or the valleys of my bosom?
Were you angry because you couldn’t dance to the beat
of our African drums or
click to the song we sang so effortlessly?
What was it about us that made you so angry that you decided to
land on our shores and claim what was not yours?
Was it that we could grow food by simply laying our hands on the ground?
Was it that we grew corn and wheat and fed families without any hindrance?
Was it that we took skin and made clothes?
Tell me, what was it?
Was it our diverse nature and beauty that offended you?
Or was it our resilience?
Was it the strength of our mothers and the power of our fathers
which made you fear?
Was it the look of determination in our eyes as we stared you down
which made you quiver and quake and then take a gun and shove it down our throats?
Was it that we were born of the sun and the earth, a people so natural?
Was it that you couldn’t control us that made you decide to kill us?
Tell me, what was it?
Was it that no matter how hard you tried to make us a
speck in the history books, every page is still filled with the
cries of our ancestors and the stories are still being written to this day?
Go on, tell me.
What made you so angry?
Wow it makes me wonder also why would people go so far because of anger!! Again it leaves a bitter taste in our life’s. The wounds from the passed won’t heal themselves. We need to confront the painful truth even if it means we relive the traumatic experiences our loved ones faced so we can find closure. Just my 2cents. Thank you Kim
This is deeply powerful. This is truth and pain and sincerity. This is heartbreaking and eye-opening. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Kristen 🙏🏼