I am a Prodigal child.
The daughter of the first wife within a marriage that didn't...that couldn't last.
First generation American Trini...raised in a foreign land
with the warmth of the sun forever in my heart.
Raised in the land where winter never really dies,
yet I radiate heat through my eyes.
I was different.
Dark & Lovely...Smart & Proud...
A misunderstood prodigal child.
A Trini called me Yankey; A Yankey called me Trini.
Where do half-breeds reside?
I tried to run, run, ruuuuuuuuun.
But I could never hide.
Bandy legs.
Nostrils wide.
Nappy hair.
African Pride.
Some said, "From whom does she come?"
Others said, "Her hairline is like the Nile."
But by Grandmother said, "I see Ancestors in her smile."
The face of Sango through my bloodlines past.
An Aboku she remembered...
a concept they couldn't grasp.
Laying hands...praying hands...
Holy oil and grail...
I am the stolen legacy.
My feet shall walk their trail.
My wings shall never fail.
Their ears shall hear my tale of two forces that dwell within.
So what they mocked me.
One even said, "Who does she think she is?"
I say, "I am no one, and every one all at once."
Kissed by the Orisa, favored by my people gone home.
A cross to bear and a word to share,
I am the gatekeeper...and my Grandmother knew it.
I tried to run, run, ruuuuuuuuun.
But I could never hide.
Bandy legs.
Nostrils wide.
Nappy hair.
African Pride.
On her 90th birthday she gifted me with a gold Amethyst ring
and I promised to never run again.
I have run my course...I have seen all things...I am complete.
I stand my post...I retain my truth...I rest my feet...
and my mind...and my soul.
I am one with the Universe.
I am whole.
