“Daughters Rising from the Dust”

For Daughters of Slain Civil Rights Leaders 

poster designed by Claire Pawlecki

it is not easy to speak to greatness.

Sisters living in the spirit,

graciously grateful,

patient by nature

brave-hearted matriarchs

exemplifying an intrinsic constitution,

defying universal subdivision.

           worship!

unconditional commitment

passed down through matrilineal descendants.

sacred beings

bearing precious gifts of kindness,

rooted deep in their paternal family trees.

a blessing’s blessing

bestowed with the compassion

to convert fertile soil of future deeds

into inspiration for the entire human race

           Sisters, who have stared fortitude in the face,

           most days the creator carries the weight.

 

you are deliberate creations.

never allowing the pains of life

to compromise dedication.

authentic trail blazers

with hearts that are superior

to time and space,

you are the rhythm.

 

you are voices of liberation

evolving ethnographic shade of centuries past

protector of all living origins

catalyst and root of the movement

scar and motivation of an unnamed nation,

the universe’s universal soul mate.

 

Daughters rising from the dust.

©️Sierra Leone