Reflection

I see a girl staring back at me

Who is she

She is me

She is we

The so called savage daughters of long lost mothers 

Ancestors who would proclaim at the top of their lungs 

The gratitude

The admiration

The joy

They see when we refuse to back down

Acknowledging something we won’t ever be able to fully understand 

Wrapping us in all of the warmth a village can give to a child it’s raised

A child it’s forgotten

A child it’s been searching for all this time

Welcoming them back to their roots

The place where it all started

The place they were always meant to be

The girl smiles

And suddenly I can see the faces of all my sisters in her gaze

I reach out

And feel the generational pain and hope I’ve carried with me since I was born 

She holds my hands and as she opens her mouth to speak

I hear a chorus of women say

Finally, we’re free