HERITAGE

I am strong,

Brave,

Proud, and

Stand tall with my heart held high

My ancestors,

They watch over me;

In their strides

I precede.

My home is no foreigner

To your gods,

Zeus, Aries

Poseidon, Hades.

The greats as you see fit,

The powers you crave,

The awe In your eyes 

As you look to the heavens.

By blood, and tears

My forefathers, and theirs before them

Fought to preserve

What I now call home.

In her wake, she demands homage

And we dedicate our Fros and Locks to her

She blesses us with the hourglass,

And to her our melanin.

Mother Africa, she is called,

And a force she is.

Her light is never dulled 

And she is gentle as the breeze

She holds gods in her bosom;

The lord of all Oduduwa,

The lord of fire Sango,

The lord of thunder Ogun,

The lord of water Osun,

And the lord of the warriors Oya.

Oduduwa foresees us all

His loyal subjects, and

Governs the land

Where my heart resides.

Sango, the lord of fire

With his majestic attire of gold

Controls the flames

Which light the earth.

Ogun from the heavens

Sounds the drums of thunder and iron.

They mimic

The rhythm of my heartbeat

Suddenly I am calm

As the waves of the ocean serenade me.

She is Osun,

She governs the waters that heal.

Oya is our warrior Queen

From her I draw strength, 

The courage of 10 lions 

The heart of a leader.

And so many more she nurses.

They guide us,

Our culture,

Our “heritage”.

To be black 

Is to feel,

To love, be loved by the sun, 

And to be alive.

I remember the glory days

When I had but a care in the world

As my hair swayed

To the music of the wind.

I felt my protectors, 

Their soft grace

Streak the surface of my plump cheeks

As the breeze rushed by my brazen face.

A baby I was,

Still suckling at my fingers,

Running through the sunflower fields

In my mother's garden.

The eloquence the sun gave

As her rays illuminated my brown skin,

Would make me fall madly in love

With her journey through my body.

I praise the heavens

That have blessed me

With love, and peace

In excess.

I thank her for her loyalty

And in return I hoist her flag,

And as her name lingers from my lips,

I feel her life flow through me.

I am one with her,

And she has blessed my soul.

I am fierce,

I am strong,

I am brave,

I am black.