Watch Me Rise
after Maya Angelou
I do not know what
history will write about me,
I am already bitter, lies
twisting around my body
like vines, dirt stains
on my back from those
who disregard my person
Upset by my sassiness,
society labels me a threat,
my profession an embarrassment,
angry that I do not surround
myself with their gloomy aura,
I surround myself with Black gold,
men & women of the diaspora,
wearing crowns glowing
like moons & suns, certain
in their Blackness just
like the tides
I am often broken,
but not bowed, lowering
my head to only one
God not man, who cry
for my obedience
Let me be haughty,
I will continue to offend,
as I dance in my backyard,
listening to my soul sing
I don't fear your hate
I will dodge your bullet words
I look into your eyes
& watch them grow in surprise
The temple of my thighs
closed to all intruders
my sexiness is not a prize
to be placed on a shelf
Watch me rise
a Black woman dreaming
Watch me rise
a daughter of the continent
Watch me rise
a rip current in the ocean
controlling the tides
Watch me rise
Watch me rise
Watch me
rise
Shirley Jones Luke
Shirley Jones Luke is a poet and writer, Ms. Luke resides in Boston, Massachusetts. Shirley has an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College. Her work focuses on culture, family, and society. She has attended writing workshops all around the world, including in Paris. Shirley is working on her poetry manuscript.