So today
I protest by Steving- ooh
I protest by queuing all the Stevie Wonder songs I love
By lifting the bass until my feet dance on their own
By filling the room with a resounding praise from this stick body
And lip syncing
(I can lip sync great, y’all)
In the mirror
For a cool hour
Amen
Today I protest by calling my parents on speaker phone
I thank them for raising me on this music
I thank them as if they wrote the lyrics themselves
I thank them for this soundtrack for black survival
Because, I didn’t know I needed it until I did
Today I protest by not defining this as self care
Or calculating how much joy could be unleashed on day like today
Where the perfume of black death, lingers above us
Yet the sky is a calming blue canvas
Today, my right to be angry and my right to be happy they’re fighting again
Today my blackness bears this guilt and grief and rage inherently
But deems itself deserving of a complex narrative
Today
White folks are profusely apologizing
As if it is a suit that soothes their guilt
They say they are sorry about my blackness
***
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