But You'll Prevail 💛

For my black and brown babies,

As y’all sit in these desks

Taking a standardized test

In the middle of a pandemic

And a trial for the murder of another precious Black life…

I hear your leg shaking like a train going 180

about to pop off the rails

I know you’re feeling helpless

like what is the point of all of this?

I feel you in pain like raging but gentle rain

falling on a carpet

Yet

I also see

all of your beautiful melanin

and your heart strings on violins

and the way you’ll always win

even if some want you to fail

But

you’ll prevail

because those rails

are stronger than you think

and I pray that you’ll never shrink

but realize the greatness that you are

the most brilliant of stars

in the darkest of nights

the most necessary voices

that even a mask can’t hide

And

like the Dark Knight

you’ll rise

like the Black Panther

you’ll fight

for the world you deserve

for the love you conserve

for the joy you preserve

the Black Joy

With which

you’ll prevail