WomanPreach (1) We answer the calling drums

We gather like clouds

Sticky as ice
Cannot be separated with water or heat
We fire as dragon
Weapon as tongue
Time as clock
We stay ready
Stay ticking
Marching
Praying
Lifting

Lifting these hands
Lifting burdens
Lifting do not cross signs
Do not cross us as we cross

Laughing and wailing
Shouting and singing and whispering
Be afraid of our cackling
Of our created language
Of our dancing
Our stomping
Our arms wailing
Our mourning
Our grieving
Our hallelujah reach so wide

You know how we thunder
How we woman
How we give eye
Give word
Give praise
Give money
Give time
Give food
Give blood

You know how we bleed
Bleed truth
Bleed power
Bleed nails
Bleed spikes
You can tell

You know how we stop traffic
Stop the world
Bring down the rain
Heal the land
With these biscuits and gravy
These shrimp and grits
These moans and groans
All this hollering and healing

You know these potions been passed down
Been grown in the ground
Been blessed
Been carried around
In bras
In robes
In gloves
In scripture
In hymnbooks
In heels

We be the two fish
The five loaves
The five thousand souls
Be the typewriter
The typed pages
The poems spoken on stages

We see through brick
Through lie
Through injustice
We understand
You know that we know

We are an easy place to land
Come get this bosom
Come rest your head

We see bodies falling
One after another
Body
Body
Missing
Gone
Body
We come running
To clean spilled blood
To call the foul
To say the names

We be speaking
Be educating
Be learning
Be loving
Be telling stories
Come hold your hands over this good fire

We everywhere

We answer questions
Have hard conversations
We ain't afraid of this work
Say yes to this call
Ain't afraid of getting dirty
Of coming clean
Of fighting this fight
Of standing down
Of taking time to regroup
To get ready
To go again
Go ask somebody

We sit
We cry
We move on purpose
We win and fail
We remember

Remember fists
Remember cells
Remember cuffs
Remember hands that covered our mouths
Remember being left out
Remember all the names we were called
Remember all the names who called the names
The shoulder touches
The embrace too long and low
The guttural grunts before the let go
We remember being dismissed
Shut down
Ignored
You know
You were there

Come get this cussin'
This lesson
This good hug around your neck

You wanna know
Why we hear
Why we here
Why we lung
Why we flesh
Why we so skin
So tree
So rock
So river
So root
So been here since before
So ain't going nowhere

Nowhere
All
Ways
Here
Around
Every
Where
Dancing
This
Free