Dear chocolate drop of beauty
Apologies to the assumptions that have already been made about you
They know not a thing about you
But they have planned your life out for you
They have decided what names you should be called
So when you tell them your name is Emma and not Folisha
They’ll be shocked as if you’ve violated some kind of law

With every courageous action you’ll take

You’ll set off alarms
So baby girl, you’ll be put on their radar
 

Your life will consist of informal interviews
Every neighbor is a cop undercover
You thought Stacey from yoga class was just a friend
Well baby you're in for a surprise
Every situation is staged in order to learn more about you
You thought that it was just a coincidence when you got "randomly" picked to be searched at the airport
Baby girl don’t let it get to you
Every question has its own box in a category
You thought the boy from the cafe was being nice when he asked about your birth place
He was just double checking to see if you fit in the box they have prepared for you

Checking to see if his single story checked out

But you are not a single story

So they’ll ask you "where are you from" constantly
And you’ll tell them Georgia but that's not the answer they'll be looking for
Because what they’ll want to know is "Where you’re really from"
As if Georgia is not the right answer
As someone like you couldn't possibly be from Georgia
But then again, maybe they’re right
Because mama raised you to be full of culture and light that’s out of this world
Your energy will foil the oppressed
They will fear your strength
So they’ll try to weaken you every chance they get
Baby your beauty will make them ask questions
Your loud laughter will diminish their insults
They will not  understand how your body moves to a rhythm even when there’s no music playing
 

They’ll want to know how you are the way you are

Why you do the things you do

Baby girl be sure to tell them
Come let me introduce you to my mother

The queen of my family’s empire
The woman who made it her mission to make me her masterpiece

She has planted the right attitude in me
The right words on my thick lips
The right confidence in my self esteem
And she has made sure I’m armed with love and not hate
 

So the next time they say, “no, tell us where you’re really from”

Baby girl thank them!

Thank them for reminding you of your roots!

Thank them for reminding you not to forget the legacy of your people!

Apologize, not to them but to yourself and forgive yourself for forgetting
And respond them  “I’m from the motherland”