Oh, how she read this. Girl
beloved daughter of daughters
blood, kin, and kind
sagacious grammarian
post-fly phoneticist
every syllable she say be sapphires
Oh, how she read that Girl
beloved daughter of daughters
blood, kin, and kind
sassy semiotician
post-def decoder
every book she crack parts oceans,
sends waves rushing back to their shores
every page she turn sets free a caged bird,
whose wings are spread and ready for flight
Oh, how she read, this Girl
beloved daughter of daughters
blood, kin, and kind,
post-dope dissenter
mos-bomb seditionist
every word she speak be a teeth-sucking act of resistance
every word she write be a battle cry
every tap of her pen be the beat of an ancestor’s drum
From How She Read by Chantal Gibson
Copyright © 2019 Chantal Gibson
from How She Read
Chantal Gibson
