We Take Our Time
spoken word on death and grief in colonial spaces, reflections on physical and spiritual inheritance.
My People hide in corners
and scream from rooftops
My People condemn the sycophants,
and ride the rails in search of new horizons
My People embrace those around them
and hang on til’ their knuckles bleed
We take the time to witness our loved ones
all the time we need
My People
My People
We marvel at our world and awaken each morning
with a new invocation in our hearts
of the ones who have passed on
We relive her infamous catchphrases
through the mouth of her daughter
We use her cooking techniques
to fill our homes with her favorite aromas
We name our sons after him
so that we may carry on his memory
We hang their pictures and belongings
to decorate the walls of our dwelling
So the babies may lay witness to the only true inheritance
We can afford to bestow onto them
Our bodies and their senses
Our reactions and lessons
Carried out in anecdote and rhythm
We take sharp breaths
for the withering souls
embedded in our papers
We plead with the air around us
In the silence of our corporeal solitude
to the one that Mami cries out for in prayer
reaching out to in her dreams
Then, she asks her god
Was I a good daughter?
Then, she begs to Know
if she was a good mother
She knows she never asked
She Understands
We will never know for sure
Witnesses to the birds and butterflies
That smack into their windows
To the little turtles who add ‘Call Mami’
At the top of their laundry lists
We take the time to bury our dead,
To adorn them in wreathes of blossomed bud
To fill their cups with their favorite liquor
or whatever we can find
We take the time to defend their honor
and the time to hold onto our grief
til’ their bodies are blue
and our muscles seize,
and lose the fight to continue
We take our time to be human
as all humans should do
We take our time
We take it back
We take our time
Before they can take
Take it away from Us.
We plead in our masses,
across our inherited planet
I’m sorry.
Forgive me.
Thank you.
I love you.
I’m sorry.
Forgive me.
Thank you.
I love you.