Mothers of black boys survive by

pushing fear down so it doesn’t

overflow, overwhelm our senses

paralyze us and derail our ability

to love, nurture and protect our black boys

We cling. One hand on the bible

and another holding on to our sons

They say that we love boys and raise girls

Forgive us; we have been anxious since their birth

We haven’t exhaled because we remember Emmitt Till

and we are in the same prayer circle as the

mothers of Tamir, Elijah, and Trayvon

We embrace the legend of the strong black

woman during the day but cry silent tears at night

As we push down, there is an uprising of fibroids,

anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, yet we carry on

We organize and fight and vote and hold our boys close

We fight for our sons because we need the world to heal

so that every mother of black boys can finally exhale.

By Janet Autherine