with love for our people we built this land

we felt the ancestors reach down
join hand to hand
of our sorrows we made songs
not all happy
but true and real still
in that is more power
than you could believe

my fathers’ fathers
stood with heads held high
but had wisdom to bow
when the winds came
no hat in hand
we stood firm in our strength
built nations inside empire
since days in cotton fields under hot suns
song was our sustenance
salvation
the strength in our souls
the power and the last trace of freedom in our marrow
we dreamed the joy of flight
we honored our lost
a nation in this nation of struggle
calling to ancestors
breathe liberty

in my blood is the memory made bold
of dreamers who knew
one day we would be more

About the author

Tessara Dudley is a Black queer poet, a working-class disabled femme, and a bonus parent to a rambunctious young one. Tessara has published poetry in Sun Star Review, Wordgathering, The Black Napkin, and Words Dance. Their poems have also appeared in anthologies published by Minerva Rising, Zoetic Press, Damaged Goods Press, and 9 Bridges Press. Tessara’s first poetry collection, Fallen/Forever Rising, was published in 2015. After taking time off to finish their schooling and raise a child, they are currently working on their second poetry book: a collection of sapphic reimaginings of fairy tales, folklore, and myths.

Photo by Thomas Kinto on Unsplash.