NO WOMAN

Hey, y’all.

For Day 12 of National Poetry Writing Month, the prompt is to:

Write a poem that plays with the idea of a “tall tale.” American tall tales feature larger-than-life characters like Paul Bunyan (who is literally larger than life), Bulltop Stormalong (also gigantic), and Pecos Bill (apparently normal-sized, but he doesn’t let it slow him down). If you’d like to see a modern poetic take on the tall tale, try Jennifer L. Knox’s hilarious poem, “Burt Reynolds FAQ.” Your poem can revolve around a mythical character, one you make up entirely, or add fantastical elements into a real person’s biography.

Here is my poem:

NO WOMAN

By Farah Lawal Harris

“No Woman, No Cry” personified,

Black woman with the thickest hide,

skin slick to slip off insults and pride.

She don’t cry, but

she curses.

She don’t cry, but

adversity visits her daily,

drops in unexpectadly for dinner

and don’t never bring shit but

an appetite and the same tired, tall tales

bout how the Black woman is hard as nails—

Never frail, only tough.

Never feminine enough.

No woman.

No, woman.

No cry.