LETTER FROM MY SOUL

Dear God, A letter from the soul contains what? Scriptures known only to you and I? Revelations of why my psyche has been tormented and tortured without giving thought to how I will further my predecessors lives if I am flaccid? Contents of my book of life with ragged and torn pages from struggles of being born Black in America? African American women have only ourselves to console us, God. We have endured the brunt of society's garbage to prepare the next generation for survival. We are not always strong. Human beings are only as strong as their environments allow. We are frail from the browbeating of poverty, job insecurity and self-abating addiction prevalent in our homes and communities. Yes, we have armor, we have shields....but too often use them for salvation and disassociation from the ones we love. Sadly, most times it is our men, our women, our children. Oftentimes, we only see darkness or dim views, night lights at the end of the tunnel. There is no sunlight in our days. There is no moon glow in our nights. Just shadows. Yesterday's shadows. Of lives in another time when oppressed people were systematically starved by politics and economics. That time is reflective in this time, but, we are hopeful that you will give us an opportunity to live and love in peace. With other Americans. And African Americans. With other women. And ourselves. We want unity. We do not relish thoughts of being anyone's enemy. We so need tranquility for our children to grow in this chaotic world so that they can stand tall for their children as we have attempted to do. Oh, and God, please strengthen them to recriminate those who have saturated our People with poisonous ideas that have almost destroyed our culture with black on black crimes and self-hate dogma. Listen to us! Hear us in our fight to remain human. To remain whole. Please! Listen to us so we will never stop trying to live!