for grandma

One soul struggled to save five

Dreams of countless opportunities

Social freedom

Distance from poverty

A fish cart with worn handles

This is the woman who started my family

The epitome of Strong Black Woman

Who rolled her eyes at needing a man to survive

And kissed teeth at the idea of ever giving up

She considered self-sacrifice as only natural

And raised more children than her womb carried

This is the legacy that she left me

One by one, five souls migrated

Bringing along whatever they could

With a hand offered to others who'd follow

Souls they helped create

And souls that just needed the help

This is my family

Nothing is perfect

The grown eyes I see tell stories woven tightly

Struggles, obstacles, triumphs, rewards

And all share the same mask of loss

Slowly finding ways, together, to move on

This is the how we overcome

Onlookers, eyes filled with confusion

May not see the cookie-cut Bradys

It's true blood who grew up together

Now may barely see each other

But during tough times, there's at least one helping hand

This is what she taught us

Dominoes, cards or loodie

Yearly football games while men deny their age

Gossiping women with stories of bad-ass children

A family already etched in community's history

A clan that has defied all exposed negativities

This is my heritage

One soul struggled to save five

And five souls grew to numbers she could never dream

We are the extension

Her hopes, her dreams

What was once hers, is now ours

And this is how we continue