Angela Davis

a free verse about the black liberation icon

Whenever a BLACK woman
has the nerve
to speak up
to define her own beauty standards
to not smile (all the time)
to use her brains
to go against the norm
she is shunned
feared
rejected
even jailed
because she dares
to take a stand
and says no
to society's
demands
what demands?
so many, but
pretty much
it's the twirlin' your
hair
poppin' bubblegum
battin' your eyelashes game
a game she refused to play
and today
she is revered as a pioneer
of liberation
causing this nation
to take into consideration
it's unfair practices
where some benefit
and others go without
often she is defined merely
as an afro pic icon
but what she did
for black history goes
above and beyond
the call of duty

By Me
Happy Black History Month

Copyright © By Angela Malele 2014