Black Sheep Written by: Pharaoh Da Poet and Vontress Renae’

 

 

Black sheep,

Scum of the world, yet blessed to be cursed. 

Wondering why i’m lost

I’ve lost myself to wake my brothers up, as the police are shooting us down

Our people , so distracted by the media.

And America robbing us blind.

Poisoning everything , and still no one notices.

Were oppressed waiting on time to tell us where we’re headed 

Marshall Law is coming they say

And all were looking for is the money we were never guaranteed

The sheep follows the shepherd

Or is it the sour feeling in its stomach allowing America to lead us to slaughter

Like strange fruits 

I’ve smelled death, as sweet as sugar cane

But as still as palm wine

It bleeds red, and drips to the roots when the sun shines.

It grows as big as brown mangos , as the smell of gun shots hit the air 

Carrying the eerie smell of death , in a disguise of red roses

Roses that grow from the concrete from the blood that drips down Americas tree

A tree with no justice on its leaves 

No justice in its roots 

Still misunderstanding why black bodies lay dead in the summer 

Oppressed or conditioned

Taught that loving ourselves in a palm wine America

Harvested turmoil , and slavery 

To whom are we captives?

The Americas our ourselves

Teaching ourselves that money and fame 

Are more important than our women, children

And we pay for it with the souls of our men.

We are distracted by choice

Leaving no room for hurt in our psyche

We don’t want to be apart of our problem

The ruin that give ammunition to the laws

The laws that we are not educated on 

The laws that use OUR ammunition 

To shoot us down in the street like sheep 

Following the shepherd 

Or walking away from ourselves

Passing trees of injustice that we allow

Killing one another, 

Pulling one another down from flourishing

Into pure white roses

Our petals are covered in blood tinted red

Red from the lives we lost in struggles

That we could avoid

Becoming one community

One aligned voice

And one love

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To You, From V ( My letter to ” ME”)

This letter was the hardest  to write, and written over a few months time. I had a very difficult year 2017 and I felt like all the things that I assumed I had over come started to pop up out of no where. My hurt from a relationship, feeling unworthy of someones love, and feeling over all out of place in this world. I talked to God over and over about helping me figure out what I needed to do to see ME! To love ME. And he told me simply I needed to stop being afraid of my own greatness. The love I was looking for I already had within myself. The feelings of unworthiness came from carrying around the baggage of past lovers and friends who were not worthy of ME! He told me to forgive myself.

The moment I forgave myself I had everything I needed. I accepted that yes, I was a flawed woman, nor was I perfect, definitely made mistakes and I am still all that I ever needed. I am the Prize no matter how some may see me or feel about me. I cant allow the perception of others dictate the way I handle my worth. This letter still sits in my dresser as a reminder of where I have been. And every so often the plan is to update it and eventually leave them behind for my daughters to read. In order for them to understand that their mother struggled also but its the way I got up from everything that knocked me down that made me V!

To you, From V ( My letter to “My Father”)

The Fifth letter, of my “Letters in Healing” Series is to the person who gave me life. I definitely feel uncomfortable calling him “dad” just based on the simple fact that he wasn’t ever really a dad to me. I have had a off and on journey with him up until recently when I finally decided to just let him know how I truly felt about him and maintaining a dead relationship. I let him know I felt as though there was nothing that he could do for me besides be a grandfather to my children. Which his actions were just the same as him attempting to be a father to me. I let him know that for so many years I was angry with him for the things he lied about, the promises he made and didn’t keep and his lack of concern for me as his first born child. I blamed him for so many things that had gone wrong in my life with the thought, ” if you would have been here none of this would have happened.”  Until I finally realized he also was battling his own demons and sadly enough he wasn’t ready to be man enough to face them. Just as he was not man enough to be a father to me ! I think at times we walk around being so angry at people who we make obligated to do things for the sake of our well being and the fact is everyone is obligated to their demons and we are all on different journeys.

Ultimately I made peace with not having a father in my life. I made peace with the fact that I turned out OK because my grandmothers prayers kept me safe and my mother sacrificed her life in order for me to have one of my own. I made peace with my hurt, my sadness, and embraced the peace I felt when I finally decided to cut ties with a man I felt was only toxic to my life and my children. I feel sometimes, ” fatherless” children hold on to so much pain from a person who was just not meant to be in their world. They hold on to what could be instead of what is. Never really understanding that sometimes peoples purpose in this world is not to be parents ; we just get caught in the cross fire. Everyone heals at their own pace and I know it took me a long time to accept the fact that I have only my mother and i’m OK with that. I’m OK with knowing that the one person who made herself available whenever I needed, wiped my tears , and raised me to be such a resilient woman remains here today all because she CHOSE the most fulfilling job of all and that was being a parent FIRST !! I chose to leave my father behind and not look back for the sake of ME! The relationship is not needed and to me he will always be a stranger bonded by blood. A stranger who missed out on the most amazing parts of my life. A stranger who should have been my Dad!

To my “Father” ! you are forgiven and i wish you many blessings to come !

To you, From V ( My Letter to “Them”)

In this fourth letter I shed light on my toxic friendships, and how much I allowed them to affect me. I allowed them to make me into a person that I wasn’t. I allowed the judgement of jealous” friends” dictate how I felt about myself and hinder me from the things that I felt were best for ME. Based simply on the fact that I didn’t want to be judged because my preferences and my life choices were different from theirs. I was absolutely taken advantage of in many ways and that brought me way down. To the point I had to separate myself from them. Of course I became the bad guy and the reason I removed myself became a whole big thing of he/she say and of course slandering my name. And no i’m not a victim and nor was I innocent; but when I decided to part ways I was only doing what was best for myself. I did what I needed to do in order to make room for people who were going to be an asset to my dreams, bring positive energy into my world and teach me things as a woman and mother that I just wasn’t getting from these friends. I needed people who genuinely had my best interest at heart. So I chose myself. When I wrote this letter I had two old friends in mind. They were around the longest and yet the most toxic but they never really understood that because their egos got in the way of having meaningful conversation or throwing their actions on me.

When I understood that  friends I’ve had for years ; weren’t really my friends at all it made it was easier for me to move on. It helped me to flourish as an individual and spot the red flags in people who use the ” friend” word too loosely. Burning the letter allowed me to release the obligation and loyalty I felt I had for them, it allowed the secrets we shared to burn into ashes and fly away in the nights sky. The only hope I ever had/have for these individuals is they realize that being a friend takes more than a picture posted on social media, or a quick ride to the gas station. It takes the ability to be selfless !

 

To You, From V ( My letter to “HER”)

Welcome to the third letter in my ” Letters in Healing” Series. This letter was one that was difficult to write. There was one person that I harbored sooooo much anger toward. She made my skin crawl just to hear her name. I despised the thought of her. She had a part of my heart that I felt I would never get back. No , not from infidelities as many would imagine. Just an unfortunate situation that happened in the midst of space apart. Were all adults and we some times have to take time apart in order to grow as individuals. We have to realize what we have, if its worth the fight , and how  to go about preserving the love that sometimes we feel may be lost at times in a long-term relationship. After all that happened I had to sit with myself, cry, scream and come to accept what hurt me. But also I had to make the choice to either forgive this person or continue to allow this person to have a place in MY world that she never really held in the first place. I forgave. Not for him, but for me! Also, for “HER” ! I felt a sense of sympathy for the person she is, who she needs to still allow herself o grow into, and I found myself thanking her for being everything needed in order to show “US” both what we needed to do in order to maintain longevity.

 

After reading this letter over and over. I finally came to the realization that my place was never taken. It was never compromised; merely a wake up call to what was needed in my life. This was vulnerability. Being able to show my heart, say how I felt, and not be afraid to be happy with someone who only had intentions to love me in all the correct ways. Which was something until meeting “HIM,” I had never experienced. See we all play a part in the things that happen in our world. Even if we don’t want to take the time to admit it. I accepted my fear of happiness pulled us apart. But the determination to love unconditionally brought us back together !

To “HER”, you are forgiven! and Thank you!