Blood at the Root

by LaDarrion Williams

“He shows us every day. He shows us the beauty by paintin’ the sky. Lettin’ the moon and the sun take turns to bless the darkness. Most folks don’t even pay attention to his work of art.

“Dear Black girl, you are wrapped in gold. Your hair twists down your head like roots from a tree—you are wonderfully and fearfully made. You are the living image of God herself. Dipped in honey and mahogany. The standard, even when they try to tell you you’re not. Black girl, you are the foundation. The lineage that holds a million generations.”