Black Girl Magic: An Ode to Gynnya McMillen

The ebbs and flows of that Black Girl Magic
Don’t let them frame the narrative
It may be sad but never tragic
 
Our essence is a constant source
Merely resituating existences
Something like that soul force
 
We don’t need physical aids for you to feel this power
The fertilization process…
The beauty of that flower
 
That Black Girl Magic
Yeah it ebbs and flows
The recurring, rhythmic pattern
Of the Blackness it glows
The power in the beauty
On our faces it shows
 
Hidden in our vault
Trapped in our gait
Dissected, lynched, and maimed
Many have tried to replicate
No bullet can penetrate
This Blackness
No one can take
The last breath
Of that beautiful dream
The one that keeps us saying long live the King
 
Land of the free because of our brave
Reflecting on that ultimate sacrifice that our ancestors gave
Maya said it the best
I am the hope and the dream of the slave
 
The Black Girl Magic?
Yeah, the recipe is intact
Give em a little taste
Sprinkle some of this..Some of that…
 
So where did it come from
So many narratives they omit
The secrets been locked away
But at creation we were equipped
We’re the yin to our own yang
You need a decipher to get
 
The things you can’t discern
The likeness you can’t perceive
The misinterpretations
Is a reason that we constantly have to grieve
 
Say Her Name
 
The list keeps growing
Its like an awful dream
But their spirits are with us
Long live these queens
 
Tanisha, Miriam, Sarah Lee, Aiyana
Bettie, Yvette, Sharon, Darnesha
Alberta, Shantel, Jessie, Rekia
Sandra, Meagan, and now sweet Gynnya