☀️ The Daily Boost #817

We build the world of belonging

The Daily Boost (published weekdays) is one of the newsletters of The Raft, the online community of author Phyllis Cole-Dai. We Rafters ride the river of life buoyed by music, poetry, and other arts, along with open spiritual practice. Most everything here is free, but patrons (paid subscribers) get some special perks because Phyllis is extra grateful for their support. Sign up here:

FOR THE WOMEN
Amena Brown
[Note: This is a spoken-word poem. The text below is an approximation of the performance.]

We carry water on our heads, babies on our backs, joy in our hips 
We till the fertile ground in our garden, in our soul, in our children
We bear fruit, we grow, we watch things grow, we yield fruit in season 
We stand in front of fire, on the front lines, in front of desk, 
          behind camera, behind pulpit, in the face of war
We face evil, we face violence, we face obstacles
We stare Struggle in the eyes and dare Struggle to stare back

We take flour, add water, make tortillas, make porridge, make naan, 
          make dumplings, make biscuits
Make do with hands that knead the dough, and build the bricks, 
          and raise the babies, and teach the children, and fight poverty

We carry community in our wombs, on our backs, in our arms, in our chests
We take our words and gather them like so many sticks until they ignite
We build fire and around that fire we sing
We sing because a song always gives birth
We sing because a song always knows where the soul is wounded
We sing because a song always reminds us that we are at home
          in this body, in this skin

And around that fire we dance
We dance to the tune of liberation
We dance for the women who have gone before us
          for the women who are no longer here
          for the women who cannot speak
We dance and fight for justice until every woman is free 

Hear the drums in the rhythm we walk
As we speak our mother tongue
As we say prayers in our mothers’ tongues
We find our language
In banana leaves and avocado, in mango and yams, in rice and seaweed
We tell our stories while braiding the hair of our daughters
          while standing in front of a board room
          while building a business
          while frying chicken
We tell our stories while leading the way in protest
          while going to school
          while performing surgery
Because nobody gets to tell our stories for us
Because our stories belong to us
Because we belong to each other 

We raise our hands, we raise our voices, we raise the next generation
We create, we pioneer, we invent 
We look ahead, we know the way
We see no path so we use our feet to build one 
          for the ones who will come after us

We leave a legacy in the sound of our laughter

Every day we build a world. Thank God for women.

(My thanks to Amena Brown, via World Relief.)

The Gentle Nudge

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