Poetic Response to Beyoncé’s “AMERIICAN REQUIEM”

The cover of Beyoncé’s latest (country) album, COWBOY CARTER

Poetic Response to Beyoncé’s “AMERIICAN REQUIEM”

By Farah Lawal Harris, 2024

Them big ideas are buried here

watered by salty tears of ancestors who feared

freedom would never come.

But here I is,

barefoot but standing tall

busting out of boxes made too small

raspy voice yells, “Hee-haw!”

Y’all done doubted me too long.

Just let me sing my song.

Ignore the feedback,

warm the cold stares and bring us back

to the ideals that got us here.

Don’t it feel good to be free?

I just want to share how it feels to be me.

It’s time that we stand for something

before we fall for anything.

We been falling and clawing,

climbing and surviving.

Look at me now, I’m thriving.

But you still don’t hear me though.

Do you hear me?

I know you fear me

I know you fear me. 

Fear is the opposite of love.

Old friend, stop playing pretend

and listen to your heart that pumps the same red blood

that’s under my brown skin.

Are we kin?

Or carriers of sin?

Close that old, dusty book

so we can begin again.