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  • …  
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Racialized as Black

while researching race

· poetry,leadership,liberatory practice,social equity

The killing of George Floyd, and the ensuing Black Lives Matter marches which highlighted the human rights violations suffered by Black Diaspora populations in the global north, ignited my poetry writing practice. Prior to this moment, my writing was mainly academic, with a focus on racialisation and health equity. The shock of the events of summer 2020, triggered a desire to capture my thoughts and feelings in poetry. I lost confidence in the language of academia. A colloquial Nigerian phrase “too much grammar” comes to mind here. This in essence, suggests academic language conceals more than it reveals. This was my existential crisis moment. This was a moment to givemyself permission, to write about the subjectivities of racialisation.  

I experimented with converting ideas from my academic musings into poems and to my surprise, and delight something potent evolved. The brevity and compression of ideas, made my communication direct as I was no longer concerned with cautious hedging, and the impartiality expected in academic writing. I could finally ‘speak truth to power.’ 

Poetry leaves no place to hide. It demands that one looks at the evidence presented and be open to what resonates with us. In this respect, I find poetry liberating, because I am a truth seeker and problem solver. I have a romantic notion, that we can do betterif we want to. By design or default, if we all do better than we can continually
transform our planet. I offer you my gift - Radical Self Care Manifesto.    

Radical:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

                                                   Self-Care:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

                                                                                                      Manifesto:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

racialised as black

while

researching

race

the past

is always

present

stamped

in black

always

redacted

 

as each text

leaps off the page

assaults our senses

because of our heritage

nervous systems

snarl

immune systems

groan

jagged

what a burden

what a joy

 

from the margins

to the front line

holding the line

we go round

and round

in circles

missing the centre

like a

tipsy spirograph

trying to

walk a straight line

yet we carry the load

till we become

the load

hypnotised

I dream of 

doing my best

as I collect 

your thoughts

in raised fist

  • bullet point

everything is the same

while nothing is the same

they say something is always missing

they make us seem hollow

they make us seem flat

although we are

not  black as black

selective sight

makes them 

blind as bats

as they weave 

spells of beautiful 

white spots

attempted erasure

can never bring closure

  • Indefinitely

 

weight we matter

because we are moved to

< >intern< >

<>in ter polate<>

< >in ter cala tion< >

<>in ter cala tor<>

< >in ter locu tor< >

 

pause

after the storm

I taste sweet san.CT. U. ary

 

pause

earth rests

scan

time re sets

scan

time to sit

ischial tuberosity has such a lovely ring doesn’t it

sit bones

find there

fingerprints

in the snow

erect

serene

senile

still life dead

 

we breathin::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

–six—-five-four———–three--

two–one ……………………andhold

observe molecules of self-love

shimmer and sway through 

your lungs

we breath out::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

–six-five-four————–three-

two-one :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  

 

behold

be bold

feel

the

rhythmic

joy

as

nano

mists

of

epi/genetic

racial

trauma

and pain

uncoil/

\uncoil

uncoil/

bounce

through

time

 

today

enter the center of Afrocentric Wellness

Iwaju

here we are revitalised *                   I am still 

here we are refreshed *                    I am so grateful 

here we breathe with ease*            I am not hateful 

here we are(re)humanised              here we rest our best  

 

we seal radical 

we ooze self-care 

we manifest manifesto 

àṣẹ   

 

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