kin breath
Thoughts of bringing a little black baby into this world
spinning in imitation of the external chaos that plagues
Our every breath.
Breath
Breathe
In the stillness I receive the message:
I.want.my.children.to.breathe.
Freely,
peacefully, like the coming
and going of ocean waves on shorelines.
Joyously,
and unrestrained as the choir of blessèd Black beauty
belting to God
so he may hear us.
Blissfully,
unaware of the ugliness reserved for Kings and Queens
centuries removed.
I.want.my.babies.to.breathe.
Deep belly breaths,
deep belly laughs, and cries and wails.
So we may purge ourselves of pain
Inevitable
in this white world.
So we may breathe,
easily,
Unconstrained.
Shoulders relaxed,
brows unfurrowed.
I want my kin to breathe.
Ungoverned by the belligerent
and militant
policing of Black breath,
Black Life,
in constant fight for what they declared
Our inalienable rights.