I Am A Black Woman

I am a Black Woman
Loud and Boisterous
Angry and Sassy
Boiled down to a few words
In the minds of those around
I am a Black woman
But I am not like the others
I talk different and
I am practically white
I am a black woman
My confidence is comedy
My love of myself is irony
The way I sway my hips
The way I pucker my lips
Is funny because I am this or that
maybe because I am black
I am a black woman
I am who I am
There is no one way for me to be me
Stop judging me
Telling me I am so white
I am different from the others
No, it is not dishonor to be a black woman
To come in these rich brown hues
No, I am proud of my skin, my beauty, of myself
I am a black woman
I will not be silenced
Or stereotyped
I may be the most disrespect or neglected or unprotected
But still like air I rise
I may not get the best place everywhere or be carried over puddles
I am proud of who I am where I came from.
It is not a compliment but insult
When they say I am not like the others
I come from Queens,
I come from a long line of intelligence, strength and dignity
I can only aspire to be like those from which I came.
I am a black woman
I have strength, dignity, poise,
Intellect, humor, kindness
I cannot be boiled down to a few small minded words
Saying that I always have an attitude or I am not really black
I am aggressive and angry or I am basically white
No, I am a black woman
I can be seen in so many untrue ways
Ultimately I can be a billion different things and none of that at all
But I will tell you I cannot be boiled down to five words
To aggression, misplaced anger, loudness, and sass
I am much more than that or not that at all
I am a black woman
I refused to be silenced by your lies