Words as resistance, healing, and celebration. Verses rooted in Black joy and the ongoing struggle for liberation.
Submit a Poetry FeatureI was born in a city called Lagos
A city so rich, it flowed with milk and honey
I was born in a city called Lagos, vibrant with culture, identify, money, music, I hear the tempo of the Monday market, bustling, trading, hear the laughter, gossip grow.
Where are you from?
I am from a land, so bold, so daring, so strong, so loving so sacrificial, so capable, they call her MOTHER
I am from the Motherland
Congratulations
How far along are you?
Not far enough along
Not far enough along where My race is not a risk, I am a Black woman so when I walk...
Pray for me that I do not loose hope & despair in this plain world and continue to fight for humanity and care
It's the simple things I love
The simple things for which I care
That impress upon me, within my soul imprint, like a distant memory...
I lay calmly in the bed listening to my late night jazz as I watch the rain fall pitta patta pop against the window sill...
Swallow me river
Swallow me dear river deep inside of you that I may hear you
That I may taste the pain in the depth...
Following in the tradition of Audre Lorde, June Jordan, Lucille Clifton, and countless other Black radical poets, these verses are acts of resistance and love. They name the pain, celebrate the joy, and imagine futures we're building together.
Poetry creates space for complexity—for holding grief and gratitude, rage and resilience, truth and hope. It's a tool for processing collective trauma and envisioning collective liberation.
Join our Poetry GatheringsInterested in sharing your poetry at a Rooted Spaces gathering or collaborating on a spoken word event? We'd love to hear from you.
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