A powerful poem by VersAnnette Blackman
We stay because we are tired
We stay because we are forlorn;
We stay because we have been
abandoned
rejected
left to figure it out on our own
as girls;
saw Daddy do it to mama
and mama do it to Daddy
and Daddy do it to brother
and brother do it to his girl
and his girl take it
and his girl screams
and his girl fight back
but she always come back
We stay because we think we have it
under control because the soul bleeds
and we cry out Jesus as Band-Aids
We stay because we are tired of trying
Fighting to change a trajectory
Etched in our veins
We stay because we hear the song of
shame-filled ignorance
claiming that we feign innocence
We stay because violence is a code,
a practice, a belief
A mutual love language
And that language is empowered by silence
And silence only exists when the throat chakra is closed
and hope floats
We stay because we are lost
We stay because we don’t see a tomorrow
We stay because sorrow outweighs joy
We stay because we are tired
We stay because we were taught
not to give up
on love on him on God on us on the black man, the family, the kids
though we are consistently quitting on ourselves
We stay because we’ve got nothing else to lose
We stay because our spirits are broken
And we are choking on self-hate
We stay because we are afraid to speak up
To incriminate to let go to fess up to truths
Too painful to acknowledge
And everyone thinks we like it
We stay because we’ve been tired since way back when
We stay because being taken and beaten has always been our reel, against our will
and leaves us
floating on the edge of defeat
somewhere zipped inside torture and reality
an undefined space
an unbelievable scrutiny
and we are never free
We stay because we forget how the moon illuminates
We stay because we can no longer hear the rivers’ song
We stay because we have been fighting for far too long
And we are tired.
Read more about Blackman’s journey to healing.
Former Solo Mom VersAnnette Blackman-Bosia, ESME’s Resource Guide for Domestic Violence, is a painter, published poet, speaker, and facilitator. Through her business, Soul Revival Healing Arts, she offers original paintings and products, and teaches workshops. Her first poetry collection, Butterfly Spirit, was published in 2015. VersAnnette is passionate about empowering women, eating great food, and traveling the world. She and her family currently reside near Chicago.
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