Out of Many I am ONE: To My African Diaspora Ancestors On Black History Month

Thank you, ones who come before me. You traded your ashes to allow me to reap beauty

When I look at the beauty of my genetic distribution, I don’t see a flat map with lines and circles.

I see the lives of my fore- elders the lives they lived and the myths they orally told

I see the stories that intertwine and unfold as our legacies grow

I see intercontinental wars, where cousins fight for the throne to lead

Then I remember, we are still many souls wrapped in one body constantly being reborn

I see captures soldiers who were once warriors strong.

I see the queens of old being forced to be birth mules

I see raids, where princes become slaves

I see secret routes and passageways where old souls travel to find new waterways

I see them escaping crumbling empires and land where foreign tyrants now lead

Then I remember, we are still many souls wrapped in one body constantly being reborn

I see community and unity while women sell and gossip at the marketplace

I see the strength, the strategy, and the cunningness of the warriors as they guide the next generation of men

I see the elders gazing up at the stars mapping our way back home

I see children playing group and rhyming games.

Then I remember, we are still many souls wrapped in one body constantly being reborn

I see why I crave okra stew, grilled fish, and Hibiscus tea. Oh, how I would love some chicken in peanut sauce.

I see my love for oysters and where it actually came from

I see the first time I tasted real gumbo, it is a comfort food, like coming home.

I see why I want to wear my hair in all different styles

I am channeling my fore-mothers and how they wore their crown

Then I remember, we are still many souls wrapped in one body constantly being reborn

I see my desire to be in nature surrounded by ancient trees. Listening to their wisdom that they whisper to me through the breeze

I see why I get sentimental at the fresh smell of morning dew.

I see why I feel good when the blessed raindrops wet my skin

I see why I expect change when the winds blow upon my face

I understand my love of the “beat that I feel down in my bones” the desire for rhythm and rhyme comes from the depth of my soul.

I understand that my love of knowledge comes from echoes and glimmers of ancestors of old.

What do you see when you look at me?

I will tell you what I see, I see the shadows of my ancestors protecting me, we are still many souls wrapped in one body constantly being reborn.

These are my thoughts.

Shanté

© 2023 Shante Nixon. All rights reserved.

Resources and Sources

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/A-South-African-Village-Lay-Out-Drawing-showing-the-layout-of-a-South-African_fig4_270289627