Ebony Stewart | This Poem Is About Joy
This Poem Is About Joy
it’s not about water
remnants evaporation or sand
or thirst or dry
fruit or hinges or
being hung today no
one died on the
street on the side
walk in the hands
of a police officer
or guard
today a little boy
is able to play
outside and be a
child with a full
imagination
today the only time
he was asked to
put his hands up
was to show us
how he looks when
he pretends he’s flying
today a black woman
could smoke a cigarette
could laugh could do
whatever the fuck she
wanted to do with
her hair
no one called me
a nigger today blatantly
or indirectly today they
remembered my name today
it sounded like joy
no matter who said
it
today being black was
not a reason to
die by its natural
causes
what I mean is,
no one tried to
kill me today no
one black or dark
skin or the wrong
shade died
today
today the only time
we came inside was
to gather and tell
stories remember
when everyday was a
funeral a sad song
and a eulogy oh
but today
the only time we
cried was when we
rejoiced the only
hashtag we used today
was #joy today the
handkerchiefs only wanted
to feel the faces
of the ones who
cried with joy
This poem is about joy.
it’s not about fear
or anger or sadness
them emotions come to
us too easy this
poem is not about
glass or porcelain or
fragile things or being
weak or tired or
broken or how many
times or how long
we gotta work for
it
This poem is about joy.
how long it stayed
how we remember it
in us
always