“Whatever is said in this house; stays in this house.”
“Don’t cry because those girls don’t wanna play with you.”
“Come on, I’ve got places to go, people to see, and things to do.”
And I say to you,
“Black woman hear my cry.”
Hear me cry in the night,
Not for harsh words,
Mean black eyes,
Staring at me,
Black woman hear my cry.
The need to have you beside my bed,
Watching over me,
Listening,
To my thoughts,
My intellect,
Don’t neglect me,
Because you neglected you,
Touch me softly,
When I’m sad,
“Get over it.”
Yelling,
Shouting,
Is all I heard,
The birds,
Outside my window,
Comforting,
Visiting me,
Looking at me,
With kindness,
Telling me it will be okay,
As I sat alone in my room,
On a cold wet rainy day,
And I prayed,
No more harsh words,
No more words glaring in my head,
No more secrets,
A gentle touch,
For a gentle soul,
Tough love,
Was never enough,
Your approach,
To the nightmares,
Waking me in the day,
Scaring you away,
Was about doing your best,
Black woman hear my cry.
There is no guidance,
To how to respond,
To something beyond,
The imagination,
The human mind,
Has no capacity,
For the unspoken secret,
Yes, I understand your treatment,
Accept it,
The defense mechanism,
You threw my way,
Honoring,
Defending,
The suspect,
Emotionally neglectful of your own misery,
Deprived of so much pain,
Only anted a soft touch,
Kind words,
Tender stare,
Black woman hear my cry.
Your gaze challenging me,
To tell of the unspeakable,
 I constantly wanting to protect you,
But I was the one...
I was the one who...
I was the one who missed out on...
I was the one who lost...
Black woman hear my cry.
When I decided,
As a child,
To not speak,
Of the horror,
‘Til this day,
Your eyes haunt me.
Black woman hear my cry.
As I step forward anyway.
Black woman hear my cry.
Hear me when I speak to you.
You ask me to respect,
When you reject,
My feelings,
Denied any happenings,
Black woman hear my cry.
I could not learn by seeing,
Mistakes,
Or examples set,
I needed a teacher,
And you weren’t it,
I needed guidance, And you had no time,
So, I protected...
By keeping a secret,
Black woman hear my cry.
I survived,
By living,
I survived,
By believing,
I could stay alive,
And live a better life,
I needed you to teach,
Not preach,
Not scream,
Take my hand,
And guide,
Tell me what to expect in a good man
Or a bad one,
For that reason,
Not preach,
Not scream,
Or yell at me.
“Why do you do this or that.
I thought you were miss perfect.”
“Why did you move so far away.”
“Come back home.”
Yet, my home,
Was not my own,
Ripped from me,
By too tragedies,
Just like my childhood,
Because of what he did...
To me,
Yet, you defend him,
And glare at me,
When I speak,
Black woman hear my cry.
I grew up,
Unable to listen,
To any of your decisions,
Unable to accept,
Your next step in life,
Because it was not ours,
It was yours,
Your next move,
And it ,
Anything I wanted to do,
Or be,
So you assume,
I ran...
Black woman hear my cry.
I left home,
To begin...
And now I must finish,
What I started...
I ask,
Please forgive me,
I’m sorry,
Always been a broken family,
You always trying,
My admiration,
I great,
For he sacrifices,
You made,
But, now I must sacrifice,
I left,
So I could express,
My everlasting pain,
My everlasting regret,
Of telling the unspoken secret,
Black woman for the last time hear my cry.
Angry,
No,
Sadden,
I am not mad,
just in need of peace,
My children have only been able to give me...
Tranquillity,
Patience,
Endurance for struggles to come,
Calming the weathered storm,
Will be my journey,
Only speak softly,
Hear me,
Black woman hear my cry.
For I have risen,
To the occasion,
I have spoken,
And I will continue to speak,
this is my vision,
A voice,
For the voiceless,
A power,
Not stricken by circumstances,
Beyond her control,
An advocate,
An activist,
For all broken souls,
May my hardships wrap me up,
No more,
BLACK WOMAN HEAR MY CRY...