A poetry contribution for The South Seattle Emerald | JULY 17, 2022
(Inspired by Mr. Delbert Richardson’s “1619: Resistance/Resilience/Remembrance/Liberation” exhibit, November 2021 to January 2022, for the City of Seattle Arts & Culture, ARTS at King Street Station.)
Tell me again
About my melanin skin
And how my story began
On the soil, rich with minerals and precious stones
Hot dirt, clay, and sand.
Tell me again
About my intricate hair
Markings and symbols that speak of my kin
Shells, gold and silver, red-yellow and orange.
Tell me again
About my amazing skill
Mapping the stars and ocean currents
Drawing and documenting the times
Preserved on walls and held by our griots.
Tell me again
About architecture and Kemetstry
Healing practices and metallurgy
Exquisite tapestries and geometric precision
Monuments and pyramids that touch the sky.
Tell me again
About my glorious imagination
Inventing traffic lights and the ice cream scoop
Patents upon patents and engineering sketches
Problems noted and solved with my creative genius.
Tell me again
About my melanin skin
Never starting with ships or chains or shackles
Go back to the Continent, in the garden
Mother Africa, where we all begin.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
*This poem is not included in Verbatim, but will be published in Tamasha being released in 2023!
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