When Franny Hammer Said
I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired
She meant
—No more turned cheek
—No more patience for the obstruction
—of black woman’s right to vote
—& plant & feed her family
She meant
—Equality will cost you your luxurious life
—If a Black woman can’t vote
—If a brown baby can’t be fed
—If we all don’t have the same opportunity America promised
She meant
—Ain’t no mountain boulder enough
—to wan off a determined woman
She meant
—Here
—Look at my hands
—Each palm holds a history
—of the 16 shots that chased me
—harm free from a plantation shack
—Look at my eyes
—Both these are windows
—these little lights of mine
She meant
—Nothing but death can stop me
—from marching out a jail cell still a free woman
She meant
—Nothing but death can stop me from running for Congress
She meant
—No black jack beating will stop my feet from working
—& my heart from swelling
—& my mouth from praying
She meant
—America! you will learn freedom feels like
—butter beans, potatoes & cotton seeds
—picked by my sturdy hands
She meant
—Look
—Victoria Gray, Anna Divine & Me
—In our rightful seats on the house floor
She meant
—Until my children
—& my children’s children
—& they babies too
—can March & vote
—& get back in interest
—what was planted
—in this blessed land
She meant
—I ain’t stopping America
—I ain’t stopping America
—Not even death can take away from my woman’s hands
—what I’ve rightfully earned
Mahogany L. Browne
from Vibe Magazine