by Jacquese Armstrong
i
am a warrior
walking through
the jungle
my gait sober steady
i smell the air's acrid fullness and know
the rains are coming
i don’t want to take shelter
the jungle needs me
and i am walking through the jungle
hear the thunderous roar sense
the flash of light waiting to snatch the sky
if it strikes it strikes
spread loving purple circles of care
like a lioness tending to her cubs
i am not alone
we are many/
and many have come
before us
clearing paths no tools
no maps
leaving behind paved roads and
stepping stones
sojourners in these states
sojourners on the earth
they blaze trails from freedom's door:
harriet tubman, “the original” sojourner truth, ida b wells,
madame c j walker, mary mcloud bethune, zora neale hurston, gwendolyn brooks,
abbey lincoln, fannie lou hamer, rosa parks, my great grandmother bessie kyles, my grandmothers lena thomas and loree armstrong, carolyn rodgers, my friend isis originile…
our spirits stir
blend/
color/
revive/
ashe, ashe
diamond female warrior ancestors/
Shine
the numbers
like hairs on your head
cannot be named
and our spirits stir
we reap abundance of corn
encouraged by
faith in heaping spoonfuls of
foresight and courage
we fill dry cups
our spirits stir together
we are the children
we the living
sentinels of inheritance/
magnificent militarized minds
…when Power descends
we gather
will full
hand to hand combat
fought with hurricane strength
wit and intellect
courage and encouragement
each in her discipline
each part of the passionate rose
bursting through a burdened snow’s frost…
Shine on my sister ancestors
you are only numbered
by the stars on cobalt blue
Shine on
my sisters
we are needed in the Universe
to balance the Power of Light.
we are
warriors.
Photo: Shutterstock
Jacquese Armstrong is an emerging writer/poet residing in Central New Jersey. Her poetry has appeared in Black Magnolias Literary Journal, BLACKBERRY: a magazine, Linden Avenue Literary Journal and BlackMentalHealthNet.com.
