You Don’t Know Nothin’ Bout This
Black folks know death
like the lyrics of our favorite song
Memorize the beating of our hearts
Like the percussion line in the chorus
Gun shots ring in our ears
Like the lullabies the we know all to well from
Childhood
I remember the things my grandma used to say
“Walk quiet, speak when spoken to, you should be seen not heard”
Cause you don’t know nothin bout this
This fear in my heart
The ways we’ve been silenced
This self-hatred I was taught
My momma speaks on the death of
Latasha Harlins
She plays with her fingers as she tells me
How scared she was
“It could’ve been my friends, my family, it could’ve been me
And now I’m even more terrified because
Not much has changed
And she could easily be you”
You don’t know nothin bout this
This pain that I felt
These eyes and what they’ve seen
This blood and where it’s been
Black folks know hope
Like the steps of the electric slide
The words of Malcolm dance in our heads
And the dreams of Martin sway in our hearts
Like our mothers at every family reunion
You don’t know nothin bout this
This struggle we face
This body and it’s scars
These black girl tears
Them black boy bruises
What you know about this
I get up and dance with her
Oh momma, I know about this
This honey infused melanin
This black girl magic
These protest for our rights
This fate connected to this skin
Our bodies move together in unison
Two generations collide
All with the same fate
Y’all don’t know nothin bout this
This pride for my people
This love for my culture
This black folk hope
👁 3💬 0
Something wrong with this poem?
Replies are closed for this poem.
Your Poem's Voice
See what makes your poem unique — its voice, energy, themes, and the literary traditions it draws from.
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.
Log in to leave a comment.