Speak and It Shall Be Dawn
written by: Iris Orpi
@irisorpi
O woman
O darkness
O soft-footed shadows of the
womb that conceived sleepless
cities toiling under a silver moon
through the ordained danger of birth
that gilds in flame every aspiration
and makes pure every soul
the worthiness of each inch of
each stride on the well-lit streets
of the other side
measured against the depth traversed
by its reasons and how ferociously it
had fought the guiles of its demons
the opacity and substance of what you
have to offer the world come face to
face with themselves in the mirror
warped with the perception of those
for whom you are a stranger and yours
is a strange story
and the light that you built out of
visions and the beauty you extracted
from your pain
must be armed to find their own way,
say their own names without wavering,
and claim their own place
without sacrificing too much of their
innocence and the blood of your hard
work in resisting jadedness
from being mishandled by hands who
do not deserve to hold you but are
predisposed in their cruel curiosity to try
O fearlessness
O lithe flesh harboring secrets
O limitedness of being that emancipates the stars
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
This poem was inspired by Ms. Misty Copeland after she became the first African American woman to be promoted to principal dancer in the American Ballet Theater.
- Where The Light Hits The Water - January 24, 2018
- Silken And Mauve - January 7, 2018
- Speak And It Shall Be Dawn - December 21, 2017
