My Dedication to Lauryn Hill

Her voice moved mountains
and builds worlds
not like the worlds that is inside of us black girls when we are born
but the ones that teaches us to
touch the stars in ourselves
make sure that they shine
to pick the greens from the earth
and fill ourselves with the sun

Her voice moved mountains and created dreams and her tears filled up in my
throat making me choke-up the tree that was stuck there
I knew it was there but I alone
couldn't find the roots
so
I read Ntozake Shange and the tree felled down
I read Alice Walker, Rosa Guy and Nikki Giovanni and the tree fell down

Her voice moved mountains and I played her over and over again I filled my space with her tears and they found my roots like all the goodness her moon had to offer and it spilled out over an acoustic guitar and
I read Bell Hooks and the tree felled down
I read Audre Lorde, Toni Morrison and Zora Neale Hurston and the tree felled down

Her voice moved mountains and changed that world that grows inside of all little black girls that sprout into trees in our throat
I read J. California Cooper and the tree felled down
I read Margaret Walker, Maya Angelou and Pearl Cleage and the tree felled down
I read Beento Blackbird and The Salt Eaters and flowers started to grow
I think Spanish Moss

Her voice moved mountains
turned Tin into Brass
my inner soul was tickled and I laughed