It eats at you, little by little
Tries to peel you open and gnaw at the core of what makes you human
Tries to gnaw at the core of what makes you magic
What makes you sing from that space of history and ancestry and truth
That feeling that makes your body hum as music rises up from your gut, around your heart and out your soulful lips
You sing to elevate the spirit and carry the soul to the heights it was formed to go
You let your blackness radiate in heavy, shining waves around you
Deterring anyone who might think to tear you down, who might think to make you feel small
Sometimes you falter
Sometimes you get afraid. You get tired
You let them tear at you, peel you open
Grab your guts and show them to you. Like they weren’t just ripped out from your own stomach
And then you wake up, you come to
You get hugged by a tall woman with long, dark twists that graze lazily across her back, skin smooth and the color of chestnuts
She holds you to her chest and whispers that you are a god, you are powerful
You are magic
She reminds you to shine, to burn bright
She reminds you that you need radical love, and radical honesty
She reminds you that fire hums in the pit of your stomach
You remember that you forgot to love yourself, appreciate yourself
Trust yourself.
You remember what it feels like to blaze