HERSTORY IN BLACK

As I read your commentary on “HER STORY IN BLACK” I felt the ‘US’ ALL of us and I though your reading this poem, one of my poems from my book “Standing Tall In Echoes Of Destiny”- A name that was not just pick but is DEEP, Deep for me, you, them and all passed on and yet to come, those who can relate: THE JOURNEY OF LIFE>>>>>>
The puzzle of life’s reality
Will sometimes bring uncertainty,
Your dreams at times
Are blossoms of the imaginary truth—
The after mat confusion of a seemly realm of life
That might surface on your journey
When you least expect.
You waver in the distance
As your world seem to sleep,
Now your comfort zone is at risk
As you float upon your feet,
The shivers are for real
As you look beyond your dreams,
Should I be sure and take a chance—
On what it seem to be?
Or should I let my prison cell—
Take full control of me?
The confusion of my inner self
Has captivated my soul,
And my spiritual connections
Have overwhelmed my self-control,
Be careful what you wish for, as I was always told.
The Joys of life could come around as many dreams unfold,
Your inner strength will make you sound
And purify your soul.
Upon the tide you float along, with confident you hold!
The time has come, don’t circumvent.
Enjoy your days of old.
Elma Gabriel-Mayers

Hi Nneka,
Thanks for putting your truth out to the public. Being authentic is very important than holding a title. Your job /career should not be what defines you. Sadly, for many of us, especially professional, smart and intelligent black women who attains to be apart of mainstream society we get caught up in that zone (me included at one point)) and loose our true selves. Our egos often get to us sometimes that we fail to see that our ancestors, forefathers who fought to make life better for us, didn’t care much about title. They live their life selflessly, embodied humility, hope, strength, self-determination and a sense of community in the midst of adversities. As a result, they lived life based on their true inner spirits and beauty and not the outer beauty. As such, the way how they looked on the outside (materially speaking) wasn’t a distraction for them. It took me a separation from my first love and the father of my child to start loving me, and most importantly, in the past year after quitting my job and walking away from a financially secured position to start living my truth. Mentally, I was in a prison and was slowly loosing my self that would have definitely affect my daughter. I stopped worrying about titles and what others may think of me because I no longer have a job, especially one in the public sector, which so many people who I know will give up a lot to be in, without knowing my back story and what I was going through. Trust me, it was hard to do as a single mother, but one that was necessary. Like you, initially I questioned myself and a couple of times I cried. Looking back, I realized that as humans, it was necessary. I am a much better person now, even though I have not yet secured a long-term role. My daughter understands, that being successful does not mean that you have to be in a certain job, or have a title attached to your name. It means making sacrifices, walking away form things that may seemed comfortable, facing your fears to find your purpose and most importantly, helping others while going through adversities. I am now living my truth without the title. I know so many people who currently has cushy roles in the public and private sector but they are mentally living in a prison and the fear of loosing the title, the ego and the money cause them to stay pass their due date. Nneka, don’t ever feel like you are less than because you are no longer at CP24 , or has that title . You are living your truth and on the path to finding your purpose in life. Part of which is to illicit true discussions through your blogs and to make others like me feel assured that they are on the right path.