Poetry Archive

She Know (Free Verse)

Photo by J W on Unsplash

She Know (Free Verse)

“I don’t know, lil sis. It’s like…I can’t be happy. I can’t be sad. I can’t be joyful. I can’t be mad. I can’t be sleepy. I can’t be tired. I can’t be glad. I can’t be disappointed. I can’t be excited. I can’t be upset. I can’t be opinionated. I can’t be silent. I can’t be submissive. I can’t be secretive. I can’t be domineering. I can’t be docile. I can’t be aggressive. I can’t be timid. I can’t be angry. I can’t be soft. I can’t be sexy. I can’t be prudish. I can’t be feminine. I can’t be authoritative. I can’t be masculine. I can’t be promiscuous. I can’t be reserved. I can’t be ghetto. I can’t be suspicious. I can’t be bougie. I can’t be conceited. I can’t be confident. I can’t be insecure. I can’t be unsure. I can’t be unique. I can’t be fake. I can’t be straight-forward. I can’t be quiet. I can’t be monotone. I can’t be flamboyant. I can’t be loud. I can’t be eccentric. I can’t be boring. I can’t be nerdy. I can’t be intelligent. I can’t be tom-boyish. I can’t be girly. I can’t be professional. I can’t be artsy. I can’t be clumsy. I can’t be disgusted. I can’t be ugly. I can’t be revolutionary. I can’t be beautiful. I can’t be discouraged. I can’t be motivated. I can’t be overwhelmed. I can’t be encouraged. I can’t be vibrant. I can’t be reclusive. I can’t be elusive. I can’t be funny. I can’t be silly. I can’t be dumb. I can’t be goofy. I can’t be serious. I can’t be stern. I can’t be forgiving. I can’t be apologetic. I can’t be unapologetic. I can’t be loving. I can’t be nurturing. I can’t be ambitious. I can’t be neglectful. I can’t be humble. I can’t be boastful. I can’t be dope. I can’t be fire. I can’t be cold. I can’t be ghetto. I can’t be accepting. I can’t be closed-minded. I can’t be open-minded. I can’t be excellent. I can’t be mediocre. I can’t be expedient. I can’t be meticulous. I can’t be pensive. I can’t be messy. I can’t be organized. I can’t be free-spirited. I can’t be strict. I can’t be moody. I can’t be…I can’t be…I just can’t be…for the life of me…”

“I know right? Fucking male gaze, yo.”

“Now there you go, sounding like Mommy. And stop cursing before I tell!”


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Filed under: Poetry Archive

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LaToya Tee Bellamy-Hunter is a mother of 4 beautiful daughters, educator, writer and aspiring author, and self-love enthusiast among other creative existences.  Owner at By The Time Learning Culture, her work encourages conscientiousness of how life’s experiences groom our grace and grit as we attain our destiny fulfilling our purpose in this life.  LaToya Tee motivates others to live authentically through her healing spirit and radical self-acceptance.  A first-generation college graduate of the first HBCU, Lincoln University, LaToya Tee is passionate about instilling self-love and self-acceptance in the BIPOC youth, acknowledged when named Teacher of the Year for her commitment as an educator.  It is LaToya Tee’s intention to affect the world through authentic, genuine, politically and socially relevant writing which unites us under the truth that what is most personal is most universal.