The Sunday Poem: “She Be” — by Prince A. McNally

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The Sunday Poem is published weekly, and strives to include the poet reading their work. 

Mr. McNally reads his poem at its conclusion.

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painting by Keith Mallett

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She Be

She be the closest thing to perfection
that God has ever imagined.

She be as beautiful as a blazing
sunset; a rainbow after a storm.

She be colorful, a menagerie of hues: She be black. She be brown.
She be redbone. She be high-yella. She be light-skinned.

Sometimes she be slim & small breasted— the body of a gymnast;
other times she be thick with earth–quaking-hips; breasts shaped like pyramids.

She be big butt, bright eyes, round nose, full lips with beautiful coarse hair.
She be Afro, Cornrows, Close-cut, Gerri Curls & Dreadlocks.

She be bold. She be sexy. She be sassy. ( Driving men all kinds of crazy )
One moment she be angry, the next, she be warm, kind & nurturing.

She be strong, courageous & resilient.
She be wise.
……………..She be smart.
…………………………………………………….She be brilliant!

…………………………………She be creative.

………She be art. …………………………………….She be music.

She be Soul.
……………………………She be calypso. ………………..She be Reggae.

She be Merengue.
………………………….She be Hip-Hop.…………………………. She be The Blues.

…..She be all that Jazz! …………………………….She be a song.

…She be a songbird. ……………………………………………………She be Nina.

……………………………She be Ella. ……………………………She be Aretha.

She be Chaka. ………..She be Billie. ………..She be Patti.

………………………She be Whitney ( The voice that shined from the heavens.)

She be rhythm.….. She be drums.….. She be dance.
She be a dancer— Leaping through the air like a gazelle.
She be a Goddess. She be a lioness! Mess with her children & she’ll roar like the wind.

She be the wind. ….. ….She be a storm.
She be a hurricane. …..She be a twister— sweeping

God’s breath across the Atlantic ocean.
She be the ocean. ….She be the sun, moon, stars & constellations.

She be life. ….She be air.…. She be earth, rain, & fire.
She be Africa; so rich in black soil— black trees spring from her womb!

She be an activist... She be a black fist. ..F.B.I’s Most Wanted List:
…………………….She be Angela. ……..She be Assata.

She be a teacher. ….She be a seer. ….She be Witchdoctor.
She be an oracle. ….She be a poet. ….She be Phyllis.

She be Nikki. ………..She be Audre. …..She be Toni.
She be Zora. …………She be Sonia. …..She be Maya. ( Orator of wise tales. )

She be backbone... She be marrow. ..      She be blueprint... She be prototype.
She be sistar (sister) ..She be warrior.…She be majesty. .….She be Queen.

……………………She be the Mother of Civilization.

She be – Black woman.

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Listen to Prince A. McNally read “She Be”

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Prince A. McNally is a widely published teaching poet & spoken word artist who facilitates workshops for kids in crisis through schools & outreach programs, utilizing poetry & creative writing as a means of expression & self-discovery.  His poems have appeared in numerous literary publications & anthologies such as  Boog City,  Spill Words,  Tuck Magazine,  Dissident Voice,  Jerry Jazz Musician  &  The Blue Mountain Review.  In addition, Prince is a recipient of a Poets & Writer’s Grant, & a New York Fine Arts Award. His work has been nominated for Best of The Net & The Pushcart Poetry Prize.  Prince currently resides in Brooklyn, N.Y.

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Keith Mallett is an American painter, etcher, and ceramic artist whose subject matter ranges from figurative to abstract. His work has been exhibited worldwide and is featured in corporate and private collections. He has enjoyed considerable success with numerous sold-out limited-edition prints, and was commissioned to craft the official limited-edition print commemorating the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s breakthrough into major league baseball. In 2017 as guest artist, he created the Google doodle celebrating the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. Keith has been nominated for the NAACP Image Award. His clients include: Simon & Shuster, Random House, Farrar Straus Giroux, Harper Collins, Lee & Low, Charlesbridge, and Bradford Exchange, among others.

Click here to visit his website

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Watch a 1988 film of Nina Simone performing “Young, Gifted and Black”

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Click here to view previous editions of  The Sunday Poem

 

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