Mother Tongue

I birth a baby from my mouth

Teach her the ways of her mother tongue

Let her know her words should never lead her astray

Keep her protected behind every

“Try Me” and “I Wish You Would”

My tongue an Army Swiss pocket knife

Discreet yet deadly

Don't make me open my mouth

And flip the switch blade of my tongue

To show you the lengths I will go

To protect what is mine

My mother tongue will speak several languages

Of Love

Sacrifice

Healing And hurt

Only offered in protection

Lips be the shield

Pursed and tight

Don't crack a smile unless she want to

Will teach baby that if she dont want to she don't have to

Smile that is

Let her tell me she don't want to do something

I will remind her where she came from

That you live under my house

And in my mouth

And you shall not betray your tongue like that

She will know respect

What it means to speak life

Into herself

Flowers grow from the roots of her gums

Saliva filled tears of the Nile river

Mother tongue will speak of truth

And history

Because that is all she has

Baby will know that you can only get to where you are going

Once you know where you’ve been

The (feat)that her ancestors have overcome

To allow her the few liberties and freedoms she has

She must fight for the RIGHT to protect

Baby doesn't get to complain of having to fight

It is her birthright

The revolution is her birthright

She will wear the armor of her words

Will cut you will every insult

And heal you with affirmations

Here we will speak a language that

Is our blood line

Here we will speak only the language

That cannot be stolen from us

Because it can never be yours

We are trying to undo all of the

Disbeliefs we had

Of our own home

Of ourselves

Our life will be spent memorizing

The words that were taken from our bellies

Before we had a chance to be full of them

Mouths salivate

As we quench our thirst

With the water

That we waded in

Our mother tongue will speak of history

Because that is all she has

That is all we truly have