Dear African Woman

Dear African Woman
If I haven’t told you that you are beautiful, you are
If I haven’t told you that your smile is lovely, it is
If I havent told you that your dark skin
is more beautiful than the night sky, it is

Dear African Woman
Only you can understand
what it means to be an African queen
What is means to be black, bold and beautiful

Dear African Woman
For centuries you have been told
that your place is in the kitchen
You have been boxed to build your world
right in the shadows of men
And your gifts, they are buried with the umbilical chords
of your children yet to be born

You have worked the fields and cooked the meals
You have cared for the children and fed the men
You have been the backbone of this continent

Yet, my dear African Woman
you do not know who you are

You are the light that shines in the darkness
The beacon that restores hope into our hearts
The source of strength and courage
An embodiment of masculinity and feminity
The perfect being

You are the home keeper, the nation builder
the tear wiper, the smile giver
the support system and life line of the continent
You are more beautiful than a flower in the Savannah
Your smile is like falling snow on a drought striken land
Your kinky Afro is like the soft cushions of clouds in the sky

You come in many shades:
Beige, Chocolate, Caramel, Mocha
Hazel nut, Honey, Espresso, Ivory, Olive, Ebony

You are sweeter than Oreo’s dunked in milk
You are warmer than hot cocoa
in the dry season during a storm
You are goodness
You are wonder
You are grace
You are kindness
You are fearless
You are lovely
All wrapped in one

Dear African Woman, no matter where you are
No matter how you think you look
no matter how you see yourself
you are a special gift to the world

Rise up and make that change in the world
Be that difference
Lift your head high like the queen you are meant to be
For you are good enough
You are strong enough
You are beautiful enough
And my dear African Woman
You are just enough