YSWNPY-Zine 20, final - Flipbook - Page 42
I opened my own eyes today
And it woke me from a wicked kind of slumber
The kind of spell you don’t know you’re under
A sleep so deep
It could only be rattled by thunder
And fire and reign
It showed me I’m able
It showed me who’s Cain
I opened my own eyes today
By: Brittani Samuel
Brittani Samuel (she/her/hers) is a dramatic writer and
entertainment journalist born and bred in New York.
Her work is most rooted in a desire to explore, unveil
and uplift Black female identities. Her scripts are acts
of services to the young and confused. Her writing has
been featured and developed at the Classical Theatre of
Harlem, Blackboard Plays, The Blacklist, The Fade to
Black Reading Series, BOLD 2020 Play Festival, (Upcoming: National Black Theatre of Harlem).
Instagram: @brittaniidiannee
I held my own heart today
Cupped the warm place atop my breast
Searched and searched for any light beneath heavy chest And
instead found Sybrina Fulton, Gwen Carr, Ju’Niyah Palmer
All sealed by an unholy crest
All victim to a justice of only jest
I make room for these women
So they always know where to find a home
I make room for their burdens
So they never have to carry them alone
I held my own heart today
I raised my own fist today
Held it high above the ground
There was a sea of us
Fists above our crowns
Baby turned to me and asked, “when did all the stars
turn brown?”
I said, “Tonight. And the galaxy is in your hands too.
Just curl your fingers and lift your arm right up to Heaven’s
blue.”
I raised my own fist today
I fueled my own fight today
Feasted on a meal of fire and brimstone
Savored vengeance on my tongue
Sweet like honeycomb
In fact, swallowed enough sugar to rush on to the streets
Before crashing into another restless sleep
Because I hunger for something I can’t just eat
I hunger for the promises this country vowed before God to
keep
But I will not starve waiting for the leftovers on your plate
I will make my own food
I will order my own fate
I fueled my own fight today
I felt my own feet today
As they marched on sacred ground
A parade
On the same graves
Of the men that choked my mother’s tongue
Let my soles sink
As my fingers linked
With other soldiers standing on the brink
Of power of protest of riot
I heard another soul yell out, “try it”
Try rolling down Jordan with your feet still chained
Try wading through waters shrouded in shame
Try living when you know how quickly you could be slain
Try singing a song that only has one refrain
Photo by Kevin Muller on Unslpash
I ordered my own rest today
Demanded the stillness of the sky
And the quiet of its clouds
It scared me to think of possibly
losing all that I’d found,
My eyes
My ears
My heart
My fist
My gut
My feet
My God, my ground!
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YOUR SILENCE WILL NOT PROTECT YOU 42
My God,
my ground!
I heard my own voice today
Paid attention to every shock and timbre
Listened to every sob and whimper
Close enough to whisper thoughts
Yet far enough to reach across embers
To hold up the names of those who’ve been shot down
It’s a voice no longer silenced by pain
It’s a voice when hurt, that will shout
I heard my own voice today
I felt my own feet today
