Black girl blues
What to do when a black girl has the blues?
What if her mama has them too?
So quietly weary but louder than we hear
Only her daughters get to feel the pain of her fears
What if her sister has them too?
When she’s bared it all and still tries to be soft
When she’s playing peek a boo with her childhood,
Sometimes you see glimpses of where her innocence left off
When survival kills innocence and all too young you know this sadness
They say it was your choice,
I can only assume my niece will face the same madness
And probably my daughter too
Oh so resilient black girls, oh so resilient blues
Our imaginary friend,
Even when they see only we can understand,
Sad black girl
Sad brown eyes
they see lies in your tears when you cry
They see rage and anger, hell if it’s earned
We mask, hide, shrink to not be the ones who turn
Dark, ugly, battered, beaten broken,
Sweet black girl it’ll get better,
May your heart remain open