{"id":176441514,"date":"2014-08-10T01:03:40","date_gmt":"2014-08-10T06:03:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/?p=176441514"},"modified":"2014-08-10T01:03:40","modified_gmt":"2014-08-10T06:03:40","slug":"history-queens-poetry-5-powerful-poems-about-black-women-by-black-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/2014\/08\/10\/history-queens-poetry-5-powerful-poems-about-black-women-by-black-women\/","title":{"rendered":"HISTORY: Queens Poetry: 5 Powerful Poems About Black Women By Black Women"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"for<\/a><\/p>\n

Thursday, May 23, 2013<\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Queens Poetry: 5 Powerful Poems<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n

About Black Women By Black Women<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Posted by\u00a0Precious J.<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\"Source:<\/a>

Audre Lorde \/ Source: Elixher.com<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In celebration of\u00a0the diverse and\u00a0poetic voices of Black women, we have compiled\u00a0a\u00a0list\u00a0of five candid poems that emphasize the beauty, power and integrity that Black women possess and demand, unapologetically.<\/span><\/p>\n

Civil rights activist and poet Audre Lorde writes in\u00a0Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches<\/span><\/a><\/span>, \u201cFor women, then, poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality of the light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change, first made into language, then into idea, then into more tangible action. Poetry is the way we help give name to the nameless so it can be thought. The farthest horizons of our hopes and fears are cobbled by our poems, carved from the rock experiences of our daily lives.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
\"Source:<\/a>

Source: justusbooks.blogspot.com<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cI Am a Black Woman\u201d \u2013 Mari Evans<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
I am a black woman<\/span><\/div>\n
the music of my song<\/span><\/div>\n
some sweet arpeggio of tears<\/span><\/div>\n
is written in a minor key<\/span><\/div>\n
and I<\/span><\/div>\n
can be heard humming in the night<\/span><\/div>\n
Can be heard<\/span><\/div>\n
humming<\/span><\/div>\n
in the night<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
I saw my mate leap screaming to the sea<\/span><\/div>\n
and I\/with these hands\/cupped the lifebreath<\/span><\/div>\n
from my issue in the canebrake<\/span><\/div>\n
I lost Nat’s swinging body in a rain of tears<\/span><\/div>\n
and heard my son scream all the way from Anzio<\/span><\/div>\n
for Peace he never knew….I<\/span><\/div>\n
learned Da Nang and Pork Chop Hill<\/span><\/div>\n
in anguish<\/span><\/div>\n
Now my nostrils know the gas<\/span><\/div>\n
and these trigger tire\/d fingers<\/span><\/div>\n
seek the softness in my warrior’s beard<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
I am a black woman<\/span><\/div>\n
tall as a cypress<\/span><\/div>\n
strong<\/span><\/div>\n
beyond all\u00a0definition\u00a0still<\/span><\/div>\n
defying place<\/span><\/div>\n
and time<\/span><\/div>\n
and circumstance<\/span><\/div>\n
assailed<\/span><\/div>\n
impervious<\/span><\/div>\n
indestructible<\/span><\/div>\n
Look<\/span><\/div>\n
on me and be<\/span><\/div>\n
renewed<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\n

__________________________<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
\"Source:<\/a>

Source: npr.org<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cWon’t You Celebrate With Me\u201d \u2013 Lucille Clifton<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Won\u2019t you celebrate with me<\/span><\/div>\n
What I have shaped into<\/span><\/div>\n
a kind of life? I had no model.<\/span><\/div>\n
born in babylon<\/span><\/div>\n
both nonwhite and woman<\/span><\/div>\n
what did i see to be except myself?<\/span><\/div>\n
i made it up<\/span><\/div>\n
here on this bridge between<\/span><\/div>\n
starshine and clay,<\/span><\/div>\n
my one hand holding tight<\/span><\/div>\n
my other hand; come celebrate<\/span><\/div>\n
with me that everyday<\/span><\/div>\n
something has tried to kill me<\/span><\/div>\n
and has failed.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\n

__________________________<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
\"Source:<\/a>

Source: nikki-giovanni.com<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cEgo Tripping\u201d \u2013\u00a0Nikki Giovanni<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
I was born in the Congo<\/span><\/div>\n
I walked to the Fertile Crescent and built<\/span><\/div>\n
The sphinx<\/span><\/div>\n
I designed a pyramid so tough that a star<\/span><\/div>\n
That only glows every one hundred years falls<\/span><\/div>\n
Into the center giving divine perfect light<\/span><\/div>\n
I am bad<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
I sat on the throne<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0drinking nectar with allah<\/span><\/div>\n
I got hot and sent an ice age to europe<\/span><\/div>\n
to cool my thirst<\/span><\/div>\n
My oldest daughter is nefertiti<\/span><\/div>\n
the tears from my birth pains<\/span><\/div>\n
created the nile<\/span><\/div>\n
I am a beautiful woman<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
I gazed on the forest and burned<\/span><\/div>\n
out the sahara desert<\/span><\/div>\n
with a packet of goat’s meat<\/span><\/div>\n
and a change of clothes<\/span><\/div>\n
I crossed it in two hours<\/span><\/div>\n
I am a gazelle so swift<\/span><\/div>\n
so swift you can’t catch me<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
For a birthday present when he was three<\/span><\/div>\n
I gave my son hannibal an elephant<\/span><\/div>\n
He gave me rome for mother’s day<\/span><\/div>\n
My strength flows ever on<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
My son noah built new\/ark and<\/span><\/div>\n
I stood proudly at the helm<\/span><\/div>\n
as we sailed on a soft summer day<\/span><\/div>\n
I turned myself into myself and was<\/span><\/div>\n
Jesus<\/span><\/div>\n
men intone my loving name<\/span><\/div>\n
All praises All praises<\/span><\/div>\n
I am the one who would save<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
I sowed diamonds in my back yard<\/span><\/div>\n
My bowels deliver uranium<\/span><\/div>\n
the filings from my fingernails are<\/span><\/div>\n
semi-precious jewels<\/span><\/div>\n
On a trip north<\/span><\/div>\n
I caught a cold and blew<\/span><\/div>\n
My nose giving oil to the arab world<\/span><\/div>\n
I am so hip even my errors are correct<\/span><\/div>\n
I sailed west to reach east and had to round off<\/span><\/div>\n
the earth as I went<\/span><\/div>\n
The hair from my head thinned and gold was laid<\/span><\/div>\n
across three continents<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
I am so perfect so divine so ethereal so surreal<\/span><\/div>\n
I cannot be comprehended except by my permission<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
I mean…I…can fly<\/span><\/div>\n
like a bird in the sky…<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\n

__________________________<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\n
\"Source:<\/a>

Source: summerofourlorde.wordpress.com<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cA Woman Speaks\u201d \u2013 Audre Lorde<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Moon marked and touched by sun<\/span><\/div>\n
my magic is unwritten<\/span><\/div>\n
but when the sea turns back<\/span><\/div>\n
it will leave my shape behind.<\/span><\/div>\n
I seek no favor<\/span><\/div>\n
untouched by blood<\/span><\/div>\n
unrelenting as the curse of love<\/span><\/div>\n
permanent as my errors<\/span><\/div>\n
or my pride<\/span><\/div>\n
I do not mix<\/span><\/div>\n
love with pity<\/span><\/div>\n
nor hate with scorn<\/span><\/div>\n
and if you would know me<\/span><\/div>\n
look into the entrails of Uranus<\/span><\/div>\n
where the restless oceans pound.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
I do not dwell<\/span><\/div>\n
within my birth nor my divinities<\/span><\/div>\n
who am ageless and half-grown<\/span><\/div>\n
and still seeking<\/span><\/div>\n
my sisters<\/span><\/div>\n
witches in Dahomey<\/span><\/div>\n
wear me inside their coiled cloths<\/span><\/div>\n
as our mother did<\/span><\/div>\n
mourning.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
I have been woman<\/span><\/div>\n
for a long time<\/span><\/div>\n
beware my smile<\/span><\/div>\n
I am treacherous with old magic<\/span><\/div>\n
and the noon\u2019s new fury<\/span><\/div>\n
with all your wide futures<\/span><\/div>\n
promised<\/span><\/div>\n
I am<\/span><\/div>\n
woman<\/span><\/div>\n
and not white.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\n

__________________________<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\"Source:<\/a>

Source: stylishthought.com<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cStill I Rise\u201d \u2013 Maya Angelou<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
You may write me down in history<\/span><\/div>\n
With your bitter, twisted lies,<\/span><\/div>\n
You may trod me in the very dirt<\/span><\/div>\n
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Does my sassiness upset you?<\/span><\/div>\n
Why are you beset with gloom?<\/span><\/div>\n
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells<\/span><\/div>\n
Pumping in my living room.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Just like moons and like suns,<\/span><\/div>\n
With the certainty of tides,<\/span><\/div>\n
Just like hopes springing high,<\/span><\/div>\n
Still I’ll rise.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Did you want to see me broken?<\/span><\/div>\n
Bowed head and lowered eyes?<\/span><\/div>\n
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,<\/span><\/div>\n
Weakened by my soulful cries?<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Does my haughtiness offend you?<\/span><\/div>\n
Don’t you take it awful hard<\/span><\/div>\n
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines<\/span><\/div>\n
Diggin’ in my own backyard.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
You may shoot me with your words,<\/span><\/div>\n
You may cut me with your eyes,<\/span><\/div>\n
You may kill me with your hatefulness,<\/span><\/div>\n
But still, like air, I’ll rise.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Does my sexiness upset you?<\/span><\/div>\n
Does it come as a surprise<\/span><\/div>\n
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds<\/span><\/div>\n
At the meeting of my thighs?<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Out of the huts of history’s shame<\/span><\/div>\n
I rise<\/span><\/div>\n
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain<\/span><\/div>\n
I rise<\/span><\/div>\n
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,<\/span><\/div>\n
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear<\/span><\/div>\n
I rise<\/span><\/div>\n
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear<\/span><\/div>\n
I rise<\/span><\/div>\n
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,<\/span><\/div>\n
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.<\/span><\/div>\n
I rise<\/span><\/div>\n
I rise<\/span><\/div>\n
I rise.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
\n

__________________________<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n


\nWhat are some of your favorite poems\u00a0about Black\u00a0women?<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

>via:\u00a0http:\/\/www.forharriet.com\/2013\/05\/queens-poetry-5-powerful-poems-about.html<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Thursday, May 23, 2013           Queens Poetry: 5 Powerful Poems About Black Women By Black Women     Posted by\u00a0Precious J. \u00a0 In celebration of\u00a0the diverse and\u00a0poetic voices of Black women, we have compiled\u00a0a\u00a0list\u00a0of five candid poems that emphasize the beauty, power and integrity that Black women possess and demand, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","_s2mail":"yes"},"categories":[6],"tags":[4,12,11],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176441514"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176441514"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176441514\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":176441569,"href":"https:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176441514\/revisions\/176441569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176441514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176441514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176441514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}