Hey! Hey! Hey y’all!!! It’s day four here. Can I just take a minute to give myself a pat on the back for being consistent so far? Can I?? I have today and tomorrow to write out my posts for next Monday to Thursday because… day job!!!

Doing this has also led me to rediscover a lot of artistes that I totally forgot about (shout out to Spotify). Maybe at the end of this, I’ll compile all the songs in a playlist. Maybe!!!

In case you missed what this is all about, I’m writing a post every day in February in honour of Black History Month. Make sure you check out all previous posts in this series.

• Black History Month 2016 titled Rising above
• Black History Month 2017 Day 1 titled Black History Month
• Black History Month 2017 Day 2 titled Black Woman Tanka
  

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  One day
  I was in my father’s back garden
  Playing in the dirt
  Waiting for mama

  Two seconds
  That was all it took
  To be blinded by hefty men
  Me…screaming and kicking

  Three hours
  We travelled
  With hoofs thumping
  Across deserted farmlands

  Four shillings
  All I was worth
  One trader richer
  One father pourer

  Five months
  Anxiety
  Sea sickness
  Death upon death

  Six days
  I toiled
  Day in, day out
  Fed like dogs… suffering in silence

  Seven whips
  My punishment
  For daring to speak up to the master
  For demanding basic human rights

  Eight nights
  Locked away
  No food, no water
  No sunlight

  Nine songs
  I composed
  Finding happiness amidst pain
  Peace in raging wars

  Ten years
  Freedom finally came
  Sound from shackles
  No longer meant bondage
  Tears now signified joy
  You and I – different, yet the same
  Now, we woke to sunlight still in bed
  Bearing our scars
  Without fear of losing our children
  Now, we walked around
  Mending our defiled bodies
  Echoing our victory over and over
  Emancipation
  …