This morning, I was thinking about what it takes to wake up, black.
To wake up a…
Black woman.
Dark-skinned black woman.
Black mother.
Black mother with a son.
Black mother with a daughter.
This morning, I was thinking about waking up, to the struggle.
Black…in America.
A-freak America.
Waking up “Afreak American”!
This morning, I was thinking about what it takes for me, a…
Black woman,
Dark-skinned black woman,
Black mother,
Black mother with a son,
Black mother with a daughter,
to get up and get started each day and exist. Survive. Thrive.
This morning, I was thinking about what waking up, Black; and
worse of all being educated…in and by America.
A being-unbecoming.
An Afreak American!
I wake up and take my cues from the sun.
The sun rises. So…Rise too…
I must!
Yet, sunrise is not voluntary or ordinary.
The sun considers what it must, then rises when and how it must.
He offers only the expectation of where and the assured ascension.
Whether the rise is visible or not.
The sun warns against peering into his fullness.
Man cannot handle the fullness of the sun.
I take my cues from Him.
From the sun!
I am Afreak American!
This morning, I was thinking about waking up, Black…
Getting up, Black…
Taking-off, Black…
Taking Flight, in “A-freak America’s airspace;
As a…
Black woman.
Dark-skinned black woman.
Black mother.
Black mother with a son.
Black mother with a daughter.
This morning, I was thinking about my rituals after waking up;
what’s necessary for the daily getting-up and taking-flight…to exist,
As a…
Black woman.
Dark-skinned black woman.
Black mother.
Black mother with a son.
Black mother with a daughter…
An “A-freak American”!
Taking flight…requires fore flight prep!
· Inspect the craft, manuals, externals, and equipment.
· Set the instrumentation panel.
Ready the instruments:
· Flight,
· Engine and especially, the
· Navigation.
Now, where the Hell is my Co-pilot?
Absent.
I pull out, Faith in thyself, then slap a cap and wings on it, seat and deputize thy Faith, my Co-Pilot.
This morning, I was thinking about existing, in-flight
As a…
Black woman.
Dark-skinned black woman.
Black mother.
Black mother with a son.
Black mother with a daughter…
An “Afreak American”!
How I never ever enable auto-pilot!
Auto-pilot is a privilege not afforded, Afreak Americans.
In A-freak America’s Airspace, the promises are:
· Oddities
· Anomalies
· Turbulence
· Failures
Nevertheless, in-flight, I monitor my instrument panel, “tend to” the co-pilot, and communicate my needs to deaf-mute Control Towers.
Up to now…
I maintain by balancing America’s forced racism plus the four forces of flight:
· Lift,
· Thrust,
· Drag, and
· Weight
I land; arriving, seemingly safe?!
After I…
Awake,
Get up, and
Take Flight…
balancing flight forces makes my day-to-day existence both…
Possible, and
Impossible…
In these unforgiving airspaces of…
These Un-United States!
As a…
Black woman.
Dark-skinned black woman.
Black mother.
Black mother with a son.
Black mother with a daughter…
An Afreak American;
This morning, I awoke thinking about training my children how to…
Take-off.
Fly.
Remain in flight.
Overcome Turbulence.
Fuel mid-flight.
Land.
Exist
Be Alive.
Thrive
This morning, I awoke thinking about the variety of flight simulator series, my son and daughter will require to transverse the A-Freak America Airspace.
Lessons are simulated, iterative, and reinforced from in-vitro.
Once birthed, Jr. Pilots are never ever afforded an auto-pilot-pacifier.
Auto-pilot is a privilege not afforded Afreak American youths!
Neither are co-pilots!
Flight lessons are a commitment across one’s lifetime.
Lessons may yield but, never cease!
For Afreak Americans to stop training is…
to succumb to the Will and Foot of…
A-Freak America.
Like an airplane, Afreak Americans are designed to ascend!
Like the Sun, Afreak Americans…are designed to Rise!
We, take our cues from the sun!
SMDH; I know what it takes to wake up, black!
To wake up,
A…
Black woman.
Dark-skinned black woman.
Black mother.
Black mother with a son.
Black mother with a daughter.
In the mornings, awake without thoughts concerning the night or the moon.
Before me is today, and maybe the sun.
For neither the night nor the moon is promised.
I will honor in thought and deed, both…before I sleep.
However, first…
I must survive the day.
Good Morning, A-Freak America!
Here I come, A…
Black woman!
Dark-skinned black woman!
Black mother!
Black mother with a son!
Black mother with a daughter!
An Afreak American…
Becoming,
Thriving, and
Surviving, these Un-United States!
~SubrinaO
#SdO
#BLM
