I.
we push pens through protective coverings
etching truth
onto stone tablets of time
creating new commandments
to define life
in our own language.

we dance in raindrops
sparkling like tears of morning joy
that alight on the worlds’ cheek
upon each new days’ dawning.

we are the conduits of creation
that give birth to hope
and suckle possibility at our bosom
so that it may drink of our strength.

our backs bear the scars
of the hearts’ endured lashings
but with each step
we are straightening
the scoliosis of life’s path.

rebirth
is welcomed with arms flung wide open
threads of a new consciousness
being pulled from our scalp
woven together by nimble fingers
forming patch-worked quilts
from a million scraps of life
sewn together with care
on the loom of time

we are the seamstresses, the mothers
the healers of wounds
we are the snake-charmers
that dance under full moon’s light.
we are the weary travelers
that have found home deep within our hearts
we are the place
where it all comes together
after it has fallen apart
we are the shepherds of peace
the writers of wrongs,
and we lift our voices to the world
in a shared song of strength.

II.
this is the song you will sing
little sister
when you have traveled to the depths of your own eyes
when you have viewed life from the bottom
chin upturned, arms extended
fingers reaching upwards
grasping at salvation.

this is the song you will sing
when yesterdays threaten to shackle your ankles
when today’s weight on your chest
forces breath to come shallow
and when tomorrow’s promise
seems nothing more than a dream.

this is the song you will sing
sometimes in a still whisper
and at times strong like a million voices
you will sing
even when the words are feared forgotten
because the melody
shall forever resonate in your blood.

you will learn,
little sister,
to reside in a forest of strength
that the language of trees
has always been your mother tongue
and that you were born with wisdom
planted like seeds in your womb
by every woman
who has walked the earth before you.

these things you will remember
when darkness threatens your light
when the earth feels empty
and you have lost your way home
when every voice screams at you to forget
you will remember these things
and in the face of all
that tries to hold you down,
you, my sister, will sing.