Enough

Lift every voice and sing til we can’t anymore

Our cries have always been heard but your choice was to tune us out.

You hear the sound of our feet on the pavement

Our knees on the ground

But you can’t take yours off of our necks long enough to truly understand that there are people there.

There are people behind us.

There are people that have guided us

And in their names we won’t take this much longer

You have taken all that is essential to lead a life of peace and yet you wonder why there is none.

Not until justice is obtained and believe me when I say we won’t stand for anything other than

See we’ve kneeled until our knees were bare

Marched until the rhythm in our steps became catchy enough to repeat

Do we have your attention now? What is it about the strength in my mother’s voice that makes you quake with fear?

The hope in my brother’s walk sends rage into your heart? Clearly my father’s presence was all you needed to determine the value of his life as if we expected anything different.

We have always been enough

but according to you we fell short and that was enough for you to deem us unworthy of

life, love and the pursuit of anything resembling a future where we are allowed to breathe.

We built this shit from the ground up and believe me when I say we will tear it all down until our respect has been paid.

You’ll receive yours at your grave if you stand in our way.

See our ancestors didn’t fight for us to take it easy

We can’t keep quiet when our story has been read aloud.

I think you skipped a few pages thinking we’ll die and accept defeat in a war that didn’t start with us. -Angelique Jeffrey