Who Am I?
An Epic Poem
Who Am I?
Other than
A pre thought out image that society envisioned
I am (anonymous)
Fierce, & fearless
The funny one, but at times serious
I’ve watched myself grow and prosper
from that young black girl, always sitting in the office
From cursing at teachers, and fighting with girls
From detention every fridays, to the constant referrals
But I knew I had to change
basic stereotype to
A dove,
rising above
I’ve soared to the top,
above all the statistics
Ratchet girl,
ghetto,
loud,
pregnant at a young age
No daddy,
Grew up in the hood
Sell weed,
smoke & drink
But that ain’t me.
I’m determined to be,
all I can be,
My family wants for me,
what they couldn’t have,
A College degree,
stability,
and a home I can
have
& by home I mean dream
Just like Martin Luther King
A dream my ancestors had , that I will fulfill.
Daughter of a preacher
All eyes on me
Can’t mess up or nothin
Without it causing a scene
I didn’t ask for all the attention, that my daddy’s job brings
I try my best to be such the holy young girl
BUT THAT’S JUST NOT ME.
Yeah I cuss, wanna have fun
But shit I’m just 16
From Private to Public
I’ve seen it all
From rolling up skirts
to fighting in the halls
Boys trying to be men
Females thinking they know it all
Everybody tryna walk
before they can crawl.
Through your eyes I’m young
But this society I live in
AIN’T FUN
Students without dreams
Boys creating seeds, with no means
Of taking care
2am sirens blaring
Some parents just aren’t caring
What happened to us just having fun
Friends getting killed by guns
Staying outside to get some funds
Losing out on what could be
Just to make some fast money
Reality tv has become what people
wanna be
Standing in line for shoes at 3
Who are we?
Section II: Going Waaaaaay Back
Ghana, West Africa
The origin of my struggles
When the white men came in
& started all the trouble
They captured my people
& threw them on a boat
Not knowing where they were headed
And never will they know
They were stacked & chained together
forced to suffer under harsh weather
Going Waaay back
To getting whipped on the back
1619 is where it all started at
We went from Kings & Queens
to worthless beings
Shamed
treated like we had no meaning
Ghana , West Africa
A place like heaven
before
they captured us
So why did they take us
from our empire
in such a cruel way?
They wanted to take our
dignity
so they forced us
to be slaves
We were brought to
harvest tobacco
pick cotton
& do the white man’s work
Families torn apart
being sold different ways
Husbands without their wives
Babies sold away without
a name
Harriet Tubman
made a dangerous call
She took us through the
railroad
& brought freedom to us all
Then a pivotal moment
graced this nation
Abraham Lincoln signed
The Emancipation Proclamation
Which made us free
No more slavery
No more counting me
as Half a person
This was just step one to
Society’s conversion
Section III: Joining the Melting Pot
Minden, Louisiana
Raised on a former plantation
Placed there,
no choice
For so long my family
had no voice
Yes Sir
No ma’am
was an everyday thing
Not only to parents
But to their masters
in the big west wing
5 sets of little eyes
full of sorrow
Wondering if this will always be there
tomorrow
Never had wants
Didn’t even know
what that meant
Daddy Bust his ass
Just to get paid cents
Struggle was the worst
But victory was the best
Sometimes having Nothing
was Lifes biggest test
See we came from the bottom
but now were at the top
That day when the master
sold the property to pops
See we know how
to build
grow crop
and cook
Momma never raised no dumb kids
We were smarter then we looked
Looking for better life
To never look back on
such strife
Bringing little luggage
Hopes of a better budget
As they start a new life
in Daly City, California
Building walls
from the ground up
that will become
covered in love
Can’t believe my family went through
All the above
Section IV: Current Reality
Justice
something we fight for
But damn hard to receive
We protest and march
but nothing seems to give
Tryna create a better world
For these children to live
We got so many examples
Of how we should live
But being Young
in this world
Its kinda hard
Not to sin
2008 is when I knew
that the respect for my people had finally grew
we had someone new
Was our president really black?
I’ve lived to say it was true
My president being a Black man
Gave hope to Change in the world
At least it had seemed as though
the world was coming together
Until Trayvon Martin grabbed his sweater
Another young brother gone too soon
Soul floated to the air like a balloon
Do you ever think about his aspirations?
His goals in life
that were just that fast
taken
What happened to that dream?
Martin Luther King had
It means nothing to our generation
& yes that is sad
He marched & preached
All around Montgomery
Tryna create peace
For The African Americans
He was our voice
To our silent cries
The tissue for our weary eyes
He gave us hope , and he never had a doubt
That He himself could turn this Nation around
Now he wasn’t by himself
his mission was never completed
I bet after they shot him dead
they thought the movement was defeated
Rosa Parks
a women with so much courage
With emmett till on her mind
Her activist passion, was burnin
She knew the law , and she knew it well
But at that point them laws could go to hell
They asked her to give up her seat
She refused
They cuffed her up
but she already knew
She sparked a movement
A revolution for equality
Section V: Thinking Ahead
We define our Culture by how we cope
They always preachin’ to us
Just to have hope
While our ancestor’s dreams go up in smoke
We continue just to blow
& sell dope
But the time is now
if anything is gonna change
The key word is faith
& in the strength of his name
We black and we proud?
but continue puttin’ each other down
Trust me there’s no need for
no KKK
We killen our brothers & sisters
everyday
Then blame the white man
for making us this way
There’s single mothers
Living on government funds
Young brothers losing they
Life to these guns
& our sisters
Out on the run, cause
they gettin no love
children being created
simply out of lust
faded memories and no trust
The next generation
trying to grow
but they simply
don’t know
how to survive in Struggle
Without getting themselves in trouble.
So I hope for the future
things can truly change
There is a chance for the Sun
To shine through the rain
Equality for all
freedom to be
A doctor or lawyer
anything you can see
Envision the best
Never settle for less
and you may end up
better than the rest
Now instead of so many funerals
lets see some more graduations
Lets see some young black kids
succeeding in education
Becoming more than
what they ever said they would
accomplishing everything
they never thought they could
I now see why my name was made for me
I now see why my ancestors struggled for me
I am discovering the mystery
Of my history
I understand the adversities
And why they hurt,
FOR ME
I understand why they took whips on the back
& the discrimination
just because they were black
I understand why rosa parks didn’t give up her seat
it was So there could be a place
for me
My history defines me
From the color of my skin
To the stature in my walk
To the religion i believe in
To the way that I talk
Now ask me again, who am I?
I am Not anything that Society Calls me to be
I am C
And I am
My history!!!
