by Elvenia Gray-Sandiford
I roar like thunder, I break like dawn,
No silence dwells within me, no stillness, no pawn.
I am the echo of a million prayers,
The drum that beats when the world despairs.
Bent low to the ground, but never broken,
They tried to bury me, yet I have always spoken.
I rise from ashes, from dust, from pain,
With fire in my soul and an unshaken name.
I am not just a whisper in the dark,
I am not just dreaming, nor blind believing.
I’ve been kicked down, spat on, dragged,
Yet I rise again, always grieving, always healing.
History flows through my veins,
The rhythm of my ancestors humming my song.
I carry Harriet’s footsteps, Rosa’s stance,
Echoes of Nina, fierce and strong.
I am a Black woman,
Unshakable, enduring, patient.
Bearing a nation’s burdens, holding the world stable.
But hear me, I am not an infinite well to drain,
Not a mule for your weight, no tireless beast.
I demand rest, I demand breath,
The space to exist, unapologetically free.
Label me resilient, but understand,
Resilience has been weaponized,
No glory in suffering, no honour in pain,
No praise in enduring what should be carried together.
I am a Black woman,
Even when dreams are crushed,
Even when my voice is stolen,
I still have songs left to sing.
I ask for little,
The right to breathe without weight,
To love without fear, to walk unchained,
To exist beyond labour and test.
Do not come with demands and pleas,
Talking about what I owe, what I need to be.
I have given, and given, and given more,
Let me rest. Let me restore.
I wade deep through waters murky and steep,
Not a shadow, not a fleeting mist.
I am the fire, the storm, the clenched-up fist.
I am the backbone, the cornerstone,
The love that kept the seeds well sown.
I am not just standing; I am moving, I am fighting,
Breaking chains, power igniting.
Though they twist my story,
I rise again in boundless glory.
When the world turns its back,
I still believe.
I still create, still mend, still weave,
A future stitched with dignity.
Let me rest, let me dream,
Let me laugh, let me scream.
Let me live beyond survival’s test,
I am not just strong—I deserve to be blessed.
No longer asking for patience,
Not waiting for permission at the door.
I am demanding justice, taking space,
Dancing in joy, moving in grace.
I am Black, I am woman, bold and bright,
Burning with an everlasting light.
Though they try to dim my flame,
I rise again—unchained, untamed.
Not just in struggle, but in love, in grace,
Not just in sacrifice, but in peace, in space.
I am the heartbeat, the light, the dawn,
And even in rest, I still shine on.
This time, when I rise,
I will not just bear the load.
I will build a world where I can thrive,
Where my name is not resilience, not struggle, not pain,
But Power. But Freedom. But Joy. Triumph.