Sons

White sons came out of my brown body
A body that loves them more than me
And I tell them you're still brown boys inside Don't white wash away the stories of our history
But I worry that they will learn to blend
Erase the memories of our diaspora
Forget to stand in solidarity with other brown boys
Forget to love brown girls like me
They tell me they're a little bit white and a little bit brown
I tell them we are the stories piled up inside us Omission can be worse than lies
My sons tell me I that am beautiful
And I try to forget all the white boys who said I wasn't

Modern Womxn

When I was a kid

They said you can be anything 

But they didn't mean me

Because all I heard is

You can't be a small-town brown nerd

You can be smarter than a her

But not a him

You can't do better than the color of your skin 

You can shine bright 

But you can't earn white 

You can be a success, a mother or a wife

But not all three in the same life

Did you breastfeed?

Did you have a natural birth?

Who is taking care of your home and your hearth?

Don't slack, don't let your clothes get tight 

You can do it all, but you can't do it right

Why aren't you smiling

On your way to PTA

And every time I walk through my door

There unorganized crumbs on the floor

They said you can be anything 

You want to be

But they didn't mean you and they didn't mean me