“The erotic is a resource within each of us that lies in a deeply female and spiritual plane“, Audre Lorde, Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic As Power

“Dipped in chocolate, bronzed in elegance, enameled with grace, toasted with beauty. My lord, she’s a black woman“, Yosef Ben-Jochannan

Her grace is formidable

Swag outta this earth.

Her mind is a cosmos

Which springs forth passionate bursts

of creation.

An Entrepreneur. Survivor. Healer. Lover. Negotiator. Empress.

She got the

Clear lip gloss popping with the brown liner underneath.

It’s the sway in her hips

& the curve in her lips

The dips in the cadences of her tone when she speaks.

She is the spirit of royalty embodied in the flesh.

She so popping,

She practice what she preach.

She get so passionate,

might stutter when she speak.

Who is she?

I am she. She are we. And we are many.

Glistenin’. Golden. Gorgeous. Good. Growing. Glowing. Glorious.

Calm. Curious. Creative. Compassionate.

Conjuring Courageous Creations

Humble. Happy.

Free. Fabulous. Fun.

Resilient. Ravenous.

This that intellectual ecstasy

that “got it goin’ on” jawn

that “Light it up with the glo” goddess

that “If you don’t kno now you kno” goddess

Sharp yet soft

Out of Africa

A manifestation of divine feminine beauty

She is undeniably ethereal.

A goddess, a female diety.

A Creator of all sorts

Fiery.

Like Oya, she brings the heat.

The raging passion burning inside her spreads like wildfire:

from her hands when she creates;

her mouth, when she speaks;

her ears, when she is angry;

and her nostrils, as she relentlessly chases her dreams.

She is like her great great great grandmother, Makeba of Sheba.

A seeker of truth and wisdom. She comes from faraway lands bearing frankincense, myyrh and precious jewels.

Armored with the ferociousness of Queen Nzinga.

The strength of Harriet Tubman runs through her veins

Fluid and of the water like Yemoja, she cleanses herself until she is shiny and new, again and again.

The mother alchemist.

She is Oshun, the goddess of love and sweet waters, bringer of song, music and dance. A teacher of agriculture, culture and mysticism.

With the cowrie shells she brings to light the universe’s most secret and sacred wonders.

She is of the air. She uses Oya’s wind- wild and untamed- to fuel the revolution.

 A huntress

of the soil.

Asaase Yaa’s child.

Her many mothers graze the goddesses arm with admiration.

“Come, my daughter, lets get this healing in motion”.

So she gathers her Incantations of positive intention

breaks generational curses

curates wholesome remedies

and plant seeds

so that her

children’s children’s children can live well and do the same.

This is the legacy of the Golden Goddess. The Imprint she leaves behind.

Photos by Christian Hayden.