Saar: The Lightning We Live With

by Aura Marsh

It’s me.
I'm a woman from the 21st century.

I wish I could greet you with just a hug—
not an apology.

The things you witnessed,
the feelings you felt—
your tragic beginning
and end.

Was it destiny?
No—
it was human.

Colonist-craving sadists
who chained your undeniable beauty,
reduced your Blackness to savagery—
while lusting after you,
animalistically.

Cruelty, costumed as science—
senseless maniacs!
Gawked and prodded at a girl
just becoming a woman.

Is this truly the world I’ve lived in?

Yes—
it is.

Sarajie,
it’s a truth we must all live with.

The kind that hits like lightning,
striking a surface
just before the heaviest rain.

Will there ever be a time
when man’s crimes
outlive your pain?

Will there ever be a time
when man’s wickedness
redeems your name?