*Laying in the Grass II*, 2020 by Sola Olulode

I know what it is to feel
Your world turned on its axis
Up feels down
Words come at you garbled,
As if fighting their way through deep dark waters
Sound is muted
Light is dimmed
Your heart is numb
Your skin is on fire

I know what it is to cry
So much your tears reach
Their end
And you are convinced
You will never again feel anything
And consider that
A relief.

But dear one
Remember that
You are not alone
Our ancestors infuse our shadows
With stubborn affirmations
Reminding us
We are descended from melanated royalty
So powerful
So divine
Our very presence is considered a threat

Together, our cups are big enough
To hold each other’s pain
And if we spill
We will gather ourselves
Together
And learn how to weave
The pieces of ourselves
We thought were lost
Into the beautiful whole
We were always destined to be.
We will do this over and over again
Until the spilling
Becomes a part of the living
That we are newly thankful for,
Because it means our hearts still beat,
Our feet still dance
Our tongues still rejoice
Our joy, untouchable
And they, those monsters,
They did not win.

Author’s Note: "I wrote this poem shortly after I learned about the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020. It was my attempt to process some very difficult feelings while also standing in solidarity with, and simultaneously empowering, other BIPOC folk who were hurting."