"Why whisper our blackness
in the darkness
with no other race around?"

I have met black men,
And I have met those who try to become.
It is for them I whisper,
for those who would run,
and shy off into the corners of nothingness...
and ghettos more like graves.

This black woman desires to nurture
and love the way black mothers do.
To those who shout their blackness from the rooftops,
I salute you.
But leave a place for those who have not yet found
themselves
And those like myself who would encourage them
softly...

Don't hate the black people,
who `wear' white men's lives.
They need to find their way home too.
Whisper to them, behind closed doors
till they will walk with you.

Our transition has been long.
It's hard to recover from a slavery
that's still here - watered down.
To those who can shout,
Be strong, and lift black shadows,
Not beat them to the ground.

Why soft words amongst ourselves?
To feed strength into souls battered down.
As our hearts garther courage,
we will make ourselves known.
For now, soft words of wisdom,
In this tongue, that's not our own.