You called me a cold hearted bitch

You called me a cold hearted bitch

And since you gave me that label

I’ve been finding myself playing that role

I guess it’s true what they say

What you put out in the world really does become your reality

Or as white people would say you “manifested” my destiny

But I’ve been called names all my life

Black girl

Mulatto

Bitch

Whore,

But I’m not any of them

I’m not your sweetheart

Your bae

You Whottie

Your homie

Shorty

Yeah

Knick knack patty wack niggah get the fuck on with that shit!

I learned a long time ago it’s not what they call you it’s what you answer to

I am a black woman!

The alpha and the Omega

Every person in this room came from my womb..

No matter how many white excavationists want to try to erase it..

The first feet on this earth were black ones

The first child that was born had kinky hair and a wide nose

The hips that bore it were wide like mine.

The tits that nursed it were large and had brown Ariolas

No matter how much you want to put that white woman you have on your arm on a pedestal

She doesn’t compare to me.

I am magical

I am ethereal

And if that offends you

I’m not sorry

Be grateful for the black woman

Be grateful for me

Because in every turn of the century we’ve saved the world without asking for a thank you.

But I thank you

Because I know the words I said tonight hurt someone

But you will come up to me after the show with smile on your face

You’ll Leave knowing that it hit that weird place in your brain that always tugs at you when a black woman get called beautiful

It hurts you

It bothers you

It pisses you the fuck off

So much so that your soul shivers

You’ll go back into your white clique and say

I hate that they have to go through that

But will ignore your contributions to my alienation

My otherness

You seem to forget my reality

The words you’ve said about me

The way you feel when I get the promotion you felt you had the right to

You forget when you called the cops on the little girl with nappy hair

Trying to earn money so she would have money to play with the same brand of dolls the white girls had

You said those things out of your mouth

Those words

Tried to break me

Tried to kill me

And even renamed me

But I don’t have white tears

Or the ability to act fragile.

Behind a page face and soft features

My jaw bone is strong

My lips are big

My nose is large

So I can’t hide from it

And I don’t want to

And that’s Society

And that’s the truth

But you heard from black lips

So it won’t be true until a thin white woman comes and says what I said

But with less rhythm

Less zeale

But what she said would have come from thin lips and soft voice

Completely plagiarizing

My story

My reality

My story

The authenticity of the black woman has always be challenged

Always been questioned

But to that I say

Well Ain’t I a woman?

Ain’t I a woman

Ain’t I a woman

Yes

I always imitated

Never duplicated

Yes I am Woman

Black woman

Metaphysically

Phenomenally

Me!

by Michelah Desnai

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