I Stand
Family, Friends, Allies, Foes, Believers,
Doubters, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I stand before you today a success of yet
another life changing endeavor.
I stand before you as a testimonial
memorial of perseverance, dedication, and devotion.
I stand triumphant over the raging rivers of life.
Beaten and bullied by the waves of failure, yet here I stand!
Often slammed against the rocks of slander
on the shores of envy, but kept on
track by the encouraging voice of The Most High.
At times I was drenched by the rains of
self-doubt and I found myself
staring down the barrel of digression,
but a preserved wisdom would rise
to regenerate my self-belief and
renew my decomposing self-image so
still I stand.
I once stood as a scapegoat of the
shortcomings of my peers and accused
of drowning in the sea of passivity,
but those that cross bridges that
will never be built are doomed to
drown in the saliva that fell from
their mouths as they anticipated my failures.
Due to my gender and skin tone
I have been presumed incompetent
by the unrelenting gestures of America.
But led by the spirits of my ancestral
predecessors I have escaped the traps of
that stereotypical predestined path
and so I stand as an example and not a statistic.
Although debilitating and grinding adversity
would amplify my struggles
and attempt to chain me to the
lowest rung of the economic ladder,
the encouraging words of
a loving mother and the supporting presence of
friends and family would allow me to
demonstrate an overcoming characteristic genetically
implanted by those that stood where I now stand.
My recent accomplishments are but
a fragment of the test of times.
There will come a day when again
I would be faced with
depleted self-confidence.
Again I will be reclined
in the path of adversity.
Another time will come when I am exhausted
by the blows of injustice.
I will have to endure the storms of a system
designed for my annihilation again and again.
And I will again be standing
in the fires of slander and ridicule.
Oh but when the smoke clears
I will be seen standing with my feet
planted firmly against the Earth's crust
and knees strengthened by my will
to go on and my head lifted to
receive further guidance from God Almighty.
I will be seen STANDING!
I stand, as a product of the
Kings and Queens of Great Africa.
I stand, for the unyielding inspiration of
little black girls and little black boys.
I stand, in the doorway keeping
the doors of opportunity from closing.
I stand, for every man and every woman
that said it couldn't be done.
I stand, as an exception
to the American rule.
I stand, for the struggle endured
by my slave ancestors.
I stand, as my sister and brother's keeper.
I stand, as a voice for the braided heads
and sagging pants of the ghettos.
I stand, as the potential of my
incarcerated black men and black women.
For equality, I stand.
For justice, I stand.
For righteousness, I stand.
For truth, I stand.
In the Name of the Heavenly Father, I stand.
Victoriously, I-Stand!
Dedicated to Margaret J. Irvin
For her courage to “Stand”
Copyright © 2003
Damon Reed
S.P.E.C. (The Urban Prophet)
All rights reserved
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