Weekly Poem: An Excerpt from ‘The Children of Children Keep Coming’

By Russell L. Goings

I am, I am,
I am a Black woman.
In my womb I hold
The gift of tomorrow.
Sons and daughters,
Brothers and sisters,
I am a Black woman
Who carries the seeds.
I am a Black woman
Who digs, prunes,
Plants, harvests.
I am a Black woman
Who comes early and stays late.
I am a Black woman
Who won’t allow the
Ku Klux Klan to seal my fate.

I am, I am, I am a woman
Who walks unafraid across Dixieland.
The sticks and stones I carry
I carry, I carry
Something, make a home,
Make a home, something,
Something, I say,
I say, something I own.

I am a Black woman
Who sings lullabies,
Who refuses to say good-bye,
Who looks to the sky,
Who asks, Lord, Lord,
Why? Why? Why?
Why Lord? Why? Why?

Will the message, your message, come by and by?
Will you stand with me against the Klan?
Will your light surround my swelling belly with delight?
Will you ride the tide with me?
Together will we set the Ku Klux Klan aside?

I am a Black woman of courage, of faith.
I turn page after page;
I am always engaged.
Yes! I am a Black woman,
I stand, I lead, I share, I birth.

Russell Goings has a BA from Xavier College in Cincinnati, Ohio. He studied writing at Fairfield University and the 92nd Street Y. Before he took up writing 15 years ago, he was a professional football player, the first African-American brokerage manager for a New York Stock Exchange Member firm, and founder and chairman for Essence magazine. He lives with his wife in New York City. Check back for more from Russell Goings later this week.