Protected on Mama’s lap                                                                               

I crossed the highway at Green’s Fork

Tuskegee, Alabama.

I witnessed fiery clannish rites

Mob mentality, rituals of terror.

I listened to Mama’s voice

Heard her inspired intention

Reading me stories, fairy tales, verses

Comfortable on her favorite

Periwinkle blue upholstered chair.

Observing clear echoes of long-ago cultures

Mama educated her child

Explained fables, legends, myths—

Ali Baba, Aladdin, Scheherazade

Along with flawed leaders

Cleopatra, Hatshepsut, Solomon,

As well as goddesses and gods

Isis, Shiva, Shango

And lessons of great teachers

Jesus, Mohammad, Buddha, and more.

Mama taught protocols.

Enter in the eastern door, exit in the west

Honor the guest, respect others

Absorb wisdom, promote agency.

Sitting on Mama’s lap, I learned to stay strong

Seek vibrancy, and healing change

Engage in learning, fly toward puzzling stars.

So much to remember and value!

Her instruction in my early youth

Mostly unrecognized, now cherished.