Burned Beings

By Philani Tyson Nombika, South Africa:

For the thirst that lingers in our mouths

The undying will to take lessons from failure

The success that we are made for

The fake smiles we wear in the face of disappointment

To not giving up

For we are the burned things

The burden stricken, lost things

The dark skinned forgotten, rare beings

From being materials to owning materials

This is for the burned things

For the ashes we left when we fled our doom

This is for the black beings

The Slave things

This is for the hung, slaughted, imprisoned burned black skin

For the ashes that blackens our skin

The black beings

This is so you never forget that you’re not the first or last to die for your skin

This is for the melanin imprisoned sun-kissed godforsaken burned things

This is for toddlers with this black skin

The mothers who have to raise their young under black conditions and the heart that loves other burned things

For the love of burned things

From the ashes we have risen countless times

Because we are the burned things

The poverty stricken

Black beings

This is for the elderly tired and retired black men and women

This is for those whose dreams never came true

Street corner junkies, number one suspect black kings and queens

This is for them