From Whom Did I Spring?

Her mother was a slave, her father the master

She was beautiful and vain

She loved life and enjoyed it all

She lived till 100 years

She gave me time and love and stories

She told the time by the way the sun hit the window ledge

And she knew the Bible better than the theologians

How proud and beautiful was she

Her daughter was my grandmother

Who was my “mother” because Mom had to work

She fed us the special foods and ironed my starched dresses

She combed my hair and gave me extra nickels

She scolded me and helped us to grow

She raised siblings and children and grands and foster children

She helped me with my children

And she ironed with love and care

She was a quiet woman

Who gave love always

She lived to 89 and left quietly

How special and loved was she

Her daughter, my mother, had a rough life

She worked hard to provide a roof and food

She was a fighter, young and old,

And encouraged us to move forward

She gave us the time she could

And made us strong and able

She still is part of our lives

A great great grandmother but doesn’t look the part

She is called grandmommie and Gee Gee

She loves being with them, and playing too

How young and vivacious is she who is loved

The women in my family were and are strong

Working hard and raising families

They have left imprints on all of us, young and old

They are queens because their ancestry said it was so

I can be proud of my heritage

Because they were and are Black Beauties

Thank you Lucinda, Nana, and Cinda for the strength and beauty

You are queens, one and all!

          © Hilda Ward, 2017

Nzinga Mbandi, Queen of Ndongo and Matamba
Taken from Nzinga Mbandi: Queen of Ndongo and Matamba from the UNESCO series
on women in African history. Illustrations by Pat Mason
from Wikimedia Commons