You were born with a target on your back
Not solely because the melanin in your skin
Is a reflection of the sun rise
But the patriarchy made it unacceptable
For me to love you, anyway
Due to imposed inferiority
The inferiority of the Caucasian man
and pseudoscientific dispositions;
he saw the power of your birthright
Way Before your conception
and deemed you dangerous
A danger to society
A danger to yourself
A danger to your creator, which is me,
Because i was taught by my father’s actions that you would learn to how to hate black women
So i was made to believe that carrying you was an attempt at committing suicide
Finding out your gender
Was like puncturing my aorta
A self-inflicted wound
Because out here in this sphere of chaos,
there was a possibility that I could lose you
Lose you to the streets
Or , more scarily,
lose you to the barrel of a .45 being held by a Chad
Who would confuse your prepubescent body
with that of a man’s
while holding a water gun outside and mistaking your robust laughter for angry outbursts
But
I was mainly worried that I’d lose you to yourself
So Becoming shelter to black testosterone
Felt like suffocation
For my mind became a chamber of pessimism because those that carry the Y chromosome only dispensed
their love in me
Never for me , and always with a condition
That was until i heard your heart beat
And with each flutter and strengthening kick
I vowed to guard you with my life on
Lock
Your entrance into this world taught me it’s okay to be human
And Your tiny little hands, as they gently brush against my face,
remind me that it’s perfectly normal to resurrect my being every time
I succumb to the unrealistic expectations of mankind
I thank you, for introducing me to my destiny
I look into your eyes and I realize that
God must be a black woman
because who could ever create something so beautiful
And as a woman alone, a black woman alone
Raising up a black boy and molding
Him into greatness in such
bone chattering realities
Is terrifying
I promise,
Mommy’s got your back
And though your father has disappeared into the clouds
As the narrative of black men abandoning their offspring
Lingers into the density of the night behind him
Know that I will always be a present
Even if the world has already singled you out,
Betting its odds against you,
I guarantee I will be your highest bidder
There’s no need to be afraid
I don’t care if your power is viewed as a threat
And your anxiety will cause you to viciously watch
Your back as the days progress
Know that
You are bulletproof
For I created you with resilience
And i am your portal
Navigate through me
and I guarantee
you’ll find your refuge
Right back on pride rock where you belong
And I’ll be standing there
with open arms
Remember, i am your lion’s guard.