Through my mother’s eyes
This is a “Poem of the Day” feature piece
All my dreams and hopes U ripped from my chest and squished them between your fingers When I told you no Even dared to question your authority, which u didn’t like So to keep me there Folding under the pressure of race men and their forceful politics U tied a short leash around my neck and spat in my face Told me money was a thing reserved for white women Not activists Not light skinned black women who need to prove their loyalty So I was poor In hand and in spirit All I had to my name Was the ground u walked on, your money, and my stooped back So it seemed like I was kissing at ur feet And that’s the reverence u preferred Not that love is even for us When one of us so clearly abuses the other I’m guessing that’s why told me it was a sham hallmark emotion And walked past me on the anniversary of our wedding Like the days blurred against one another and this was just another In an endless stream of activism and Anti consumerism I was empty of gifts and giving Any excuse for the way u forgot my birthday My mama’s birthday, the anniversary of her death, and all the things she left me and u kept for urself
©️ Ama Akoto (2018)