She trips on roots of lands she’s never been to,
and cries tears that don’t belong to her.
She learned her history through schoolbooks,
DNA tests.
Results found: Kodiak and West Africa
Her name is from the Bible
and an enslaver.
She’s never worn regalia,
nor learned any language.
Girlhood was religious,
not cultured and colorful.
She continues on her jarring path,
and she is ready to start over
as the child she never was.
Her skin tone may shift as the seasons change,
but the search for the lost version of herself remains constant.
starlight & stanzas 