Photo Credit: Jeffery Erhunse
They smile but I thought the smiles
Was ‘true love,’ beaming towards me:
They study but I did not think
It was a strategy to tear apart my beloved family:
They laugh but I didn’t think it was funny
In my hurting, in my confusion, when I was not
Prepare for what was happening to me:
They saw a part of me—they hated,
they admired, because they thought poorly
Of themselves, the reflection of their own
Unfulfilled dreams:
They try to oppress my dreams
In ways I could not believe
And saw that wisdom and love had a hold on me……
They disappear—somewhere, I wish to believe,
So far away, only God can see
Yet, the echoes of their ghost,
Sometimes reminds me
That my place is not where I think I should be
In a world that had so much magic,
So much adversity and prayer warriors,
Reminding me—seek the power of an ancient creed.
Empress Journee