Today, I step softer. Lighter. The burdens of yesterday fall behind like shadows that forget their place. I am walking in the space my ancestors carved, where the soil remembers their names and the wind speak of their victories. I hold my head high, chin lifted like the sun rising because I am descended from royalty. My blood carries the rhythm of kingdoms, the sway of queens whose crowns rested not just on their heads but in their spirits.
Today, I walk like I own the stars. Like my steps are etched in gold.
Each one says I am worthy. Each one declares I am whole. I straighten my spine as if the weight of my lineage could be anything but strength. I wrap myself in standards as precious as silk draped in the knowledge that my worth is non-negotiable.
This path is not just mine, it is a lineage.
A procession of grace.
A testament to survival.
My royalty is in the way I rise, the way I love, the way I speak truth into existence. Today, I walk lighter, but my presence is heavy with meaning. Today, I honor them by honoring me.
Walking in her Light
And today, I pause to honor one such queen~Nikki Giovanni, who walked this earth with a pen like fire and a voice that shook the foundations of complacency. Rest in Power, Nikki Giovanni. Your words, bold and unapologetic, taught me to dig deep, to find the marrow of my truth and let it pour onto the page. You showed me that poetry is not just lines and rhymes but a mirror, a weapon, a balm for the soul.
You stood for more than poetry, you stood for Blackness in its beauty and pain, its triumph and resilience. You taught us to find power in our softness and strength in our vulnerability. You reminded us that to love ourselves is an act of revolution and to honor our ancestors is to honor the richness of our legacy.
Today, I write because you wrote.
Because your voice gave mine permission to exist, to stretch, to be unyielding in its authenticity. You didn’t just inspire poetry, you inspired life. You showed me how to carry my truth like a crown, to walk lighter but leave an indelible imprint.
So today, I walk not only in my own purpose but in the rhythm you left behind. The rhythm that says we are worthy, whole, and capable of shaping worlds with words. Rest now, Nikki. Your words will continue to blaze trails and light paths.
For me, for us, for those still to come.
