Friday Poetry

Magnificent Tomorrows

By Haki R. Madhubuti [from Groundwork (1997), Third World Press]

(For Queen Mother Moore, Karima White, Sonia Sanchez, Mari Evans, Ruby Dee, Assata Shakur, Julia Fields and Janet Sankey)

1.


flames from sun
fire in during rainbow nights.

the women are colors of earth and ocean---
earth as life,
the beginning waters,
magnificent energy.

as the women go, so go the people,
determining mission,
determining possibilities.

stopping the women stops the future.
to understand slavery, feel the eyes of mothers.
there lies hope even in destruction, lies unspeakable horror or
fruitful destiny.

we
are now in the europe of our song,
non-melody with little beat or hope.
current dreams are visionless,
producing behavior absent of greatness.

2.

without great teachings,
without important thoughts,
without significant deeds,
the ordinary emerges as accepted example
gluing the women
to kitchens,
afternoon soaps
and the limiting imagination of sightless men.
producing
a people that move with the
quickness of decapitated bodies
while
calling such movement
divine.

possibilities: listen to the wind of women, the voices of big
mama, zora neale, sister rosa, fanny lou, pretty renee, gwen
brooks, queen nzinga and warrior mothers. all birth and
prophecy, black and heart warm, bare and precise. the
women detailing the coming collapse or rise. the best and
bent of youth emerging. telling triumphantly. if we listen, if we
feel & prepare.

3.

if black women do not love,
there is no love.
if black women do not love,
harmony and sustaining humanity cease.
if black women do not love,
strength disconnects.
families sicken. growth is questionable &
there are few reasons to conquer ideas or foe.

as black women love,
europe gives way to southern meals.
as black women mature,
so come flames from sun,
rainbows at dusk.
sculpture of elizabeth catlett and
music of nina simone.
as womenblack connect,
the earth expands, minds open and books reveal the possible
if we study
if we feel the flow & secrets of our women,
if we listen,
if we concentrate,
if we carefully care,
if we simply do.