Black girls learn love hard 
In basements, at age 11, 12 or 13 
With their brother’s friends, or far away cousins 
Or much much older Uncles, and Fathers 
Play turns into Violence, but you don’t hear 
Black girl scream, but she whimpers 
At age 11, 12 or 13 
Feels like, if she wasn’t this light, 
Or if she wasn’t this dark… 
If her breasts didn’t poke out, to salute the sun 
If she didn’t smile, the way black children do 
From the inside, to the outside, 
If she wasn’t so dumb, if she wasn’t so nice 
their brother’s friends, or far away cousins 
Or much much older Uncles, and Fathers 
Wouldn’t have done, what they have done. 
Black girls learn love hard 
At Home, 
Seeing their Mother cry, 
Over the past due bills, shoulders hunched 
And pretty black hair, peppered white 
At 30. 
And their Daddies not claiming the Seeds, 
They have nevertheless plowed. 
When Black girls read & learn about the ‘no dogs, no blacks’ 
Banners and signs in South Africa and United Kingdom, 
When Black girl learns that she is to be considered 
To be the last one on the fast (unsubstantial, foolish) food chain… 
Black girls learn love hard 
Because they meet and love the products 
Of half assed homes, and Angry racism barren parents 
Their Brothers… Fine dark brothers, 
Who come in all colors and prescriptions, 
Who are too often, the tools of their own self destruction 
The brothers, crippled bodies, 
Leaning against the Popo’s death rides 
Amadou Diallo’s that were at the wrong place, 
At the wrong time… 
Click Clack Bam. 
But you know, a black girl is not afraid of the struggle 
Black girls don’t realize their men’s problems 
will cause them: 
An inherited, timeless suicide. 
Black girls learn love hard 
When they have dreams that are made unreachable 
Because of the pigmentation of their skin 
When Someone, on a drunken haze, one day whispers: 
‘You’re a young black woman, that’s 3 strikes against you’ 
When they see all the Kobe’s of this world… 
Struggle with the Black girl for years, 
But when they gain the huge bank account 
They leave them for a white girl and a house in the hills 
Black girls learn love hard 
Because they are categorized: 
too strong, too much 
Too loud, too demanding, 
Too in your face, too successful, too hard headed 
Too ambitious… 
And when they state their opinions, 
They are accused of complaining 
When they stand up for themselves, 
They are too aggressive 
When they want more for themselves 
They are considered Stuck up… 
Black girls learn love hard.