This piece came about after just thinking of a lot of the frustrations I've seen through the eyes of many a Black woman. This is not to say that all Black man are like this, because I know plenty of great Black men - it's just a letter, nothing more, nothing less ;-)
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"Letter to a Black Man"
Why? (Lover)
Why is it that you don't understand me?
My counterpart/My partner/My supposed nurturer once I leave home?
Why is it that you push me away? (Son)
All I ever did was love you
Gave all I had inside
Gave you my brown eyes
My button nose
But you took your father's heart/Cold
Why? (Father)
Why do you continuously knock me down?
You make it abundantly clear that you're not proud
Of me - the female clone of your Y-Chromosome
Black man - Lover, Son, Father/Father, Lover, Son
Lover
Black man I love you
I love you so much it literally kills me
I trust you so much I've been blinded/I want you so bad but you leave me hungry
Leaving me to eat crackers when I'm craving chocolate
Lover.
Not even the proper term because you/don'tknowhow
And though I know I should leave you now
I don't because you pull me along/as a kitten does a string
Why do you hurt me? Torture me? Cheat on me? Lie to me? Beat me with your words - black man Why?
Father
Where are you?/WHO are you?
They say I look just like you and that makes me hate/myself/Because I know when Mother looks at me/She sees you
We've tried in vain to erase you/Since the only thing/you/left/are the scars on her face/And the hole in my heart
Father.
Not even the proper term because you/don'tknowhow
And as I meditate/I'm glad you left us because now/I'm stronger
But it shouldn't be this way/Because now/I'm bitter
I should LOVE you/I ABHOR you/I implore you why?
Why did you leave me? Abandon me? Hurt me with your absence/Why create something just to destroy it/You cannot avoid it/I am a part of you Black man
Son
My black boy I love you
I birthed you
Pushed you out of/my womb/And it was the most/painful/28 hours of my life
But because you were mine/I pushed you/And pushed you
And push you/Now here you stand/18 years and the splitting image of another Black man
You spend your night hours in the street
Fly kicks/Fresh fade/Selling rocks/Getting paid
You spend your days/With the boyz/Who didn't push you
The streets/Didn't push you/Those dime bags/Didn't push you
I DID/And now I demand my dues
How could you? Look at another Black Woman like me and call her those obscenities
How dare you? Kiss me with the same mouth that smokes trees and God knows what else
Hug me/With the same hands that sell it?
How dare you
Disrespect me/Disobey me/Disown me as your caregiver
How dare you
Hurt me/Turn your back on me
The one who fed you/bathed you/clothed you/Loved you Black man how could you?
Lover Father Son
You say you've had enough/You scream "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"
But you're not the only one who is angry so I yell "BE THERE!"
"Come home."
For real this time/No more jail time/No more me playing the dime
Piece - I want you to wife me
Lover - Wife me
Father - Raise me
Son - Protect me
That's when I'll calm down/That's when I'll be okay/That's when I'll shut up and cease to be the black bitch that everyone is so afraid of.
Black man. I wrote this for you/Read it/Hear it/Believe it/I wrote it for you/I wrote it for us
Sincerely,
Mother
Daughter
Lover
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