b
though little and always last
b knew its purpose
guiding vibrations into tones
instructing the sound of voices
into a melodic flow for those
who knew its coded language
b was a marker of change
telling others how to name
words into existence
inscribed with characters
it was never meant to know
and though created by an outsider
b reclaimed itself
along with seven other siblings
remembering the resistance
of its predecessors
symbols that were destroyed
words that were whispered in secret
from mouth to ear, parent to child
in the hands of a matriarch’s needlepoint
new symbols formed out of survival
creating space for articulation
marking the tonalities and fullness of song
in order to connect each other
from the forced silence and erasure
it has endured for centuries
b was not merely silent
but transformed the tongue
re/telling stories of a new tomorrow
where hope led the way
and peace was abound
-tshab her
january 2021