Emani Coleman: Poem about Black Femicide
I’m scared!
Scared to bring a daughter into this world
a world at war with Black girls
a war where instead of bullets
girls are bombarded with “aye ma,” “hey beautiful,”
and don’t let you ignore them
then they magically become a “bitch” or a “hoe”
or worse end up hit with a brick and forced
to go to social media where they are not trusted and believed
Catcalling has been a way of life in the hood for too long
and too many niggas remain silent until it becomes one of their own
sisters are harassed while taking the bus,
while followed home from the redline
girls are body slammed in schools
trans and gender-nonconforming people are targeted
and turned into entertainment on the internet.
No one is safe! What is safety anyways?
I’m mad as hell that objectification, abuse, and toxicity
have become this new generation's relationship goals.
upset that the [neighbor]hood has such a limited view of love
that the fantasy of soul ties is binding so many
I’m afraid that one day Emani might say something
something to some man that he don’t like and
that she might one day have to fend for her life. What life can Emani live
when she is looking over her shoulder every minute?
Can we even call this living?
hypervigilance is bad for the heart you know.
too many Black leaders, no Black women, died too soon
because they live under duress,
living unnecessary lifestyles blessed with endless cycles of stress
I’m scared!
Scared that like Kierra Coles, after work she might never come home.
Scared that she might come across some
ain’t shit ass nigga looking for something to control
Scared that my daughter will have to deal
with the deadly combination of anti-blackness, misogyny,
sexism, queerphobia, and hetero-patriarchy and
that to survive, just might have to play that role.
I hate that women have to constantly look
over their shoulders fearing for survival
armed with mace and tasers, and
struggling to breathe like Brianna
I hate that some women are too afraid to leave
and that some don’t even try because
being alone is way harder than trying to leave.
We live in a world that forces women to create fake personas
and give fake numbers in order to secure their own safety.
when will we wake up and see that the harm is in our complacency?
too many so-called men remain silent
claiming to mind their own business.
we need to wake up as a culture cause we have failed our women.
I’m sorry that this truly is a man’s world
and as a result, many of the people that I call friends
and family have to deal with constant cycles of abuse and harm
from this unkind world
to my future daughter,
I hope that you have the strength to fight back,
to let go, and that you never have to go through such pain.
that you leave fugitively,
unsettled and never forget to see past the rain.
But the pessimist in me is already sure that it’s honestly, too late.
