A Letter to Self: from Jessica Care Moore
i received this in an email today and wanted to share.
(*THANKS SHE'S SO FLY)
hopefully it can inspire someone like it inspired me. cause it is the TRUTH. if i ever read the truth.
THIS LETTER IS NOT FOR EVERY WOMAN. BUT MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, YOU!
DEAR JESS
After a decade of marriage and a year long relationship with a
beautiful friend, I have to write myself this letter as a promise. I
hope it's a promise that other women like me will make to themselves.
When you have been forced…
To spend your life fighting against the often aggressive sexual
exploitation of women through institutions, laws, the workforce, your
own family, school and just basic can't walk down the street without
being harassed your whole life….
When you are a woman of color, and you have survived being stereotyped
as every "round the way girl" at a bus stop, every video stripper in
every rappers video.
If you have decided, despite your family not coming from a line of
doctors, lawyers or educators, to take your own life, your story, your
fucking destiny into your own hands.
I am asking. No, I am daring you to be courageous enough.
To be fearless and confident enough….
When you have found a way to build an independent economic empire of your own..
When you told your nine to five to kiss your ass, and told your family
to deal with it.
The moment after you decide to no longer be a slave.
When you decide to not believe that the only thing you have to look
forward to in life is making babies, and being a wife.
When you find a way to delicately balance babies, be a wife and still
find time for a long bath at least one night per week.
When you have vowed to raise daughters as warriors.
And grown out your perm, or read more books then what would ever be
required in school.
When you decide to write your OWN relevant story and not wait for
validation from a culture outside of your own.
From no one!
When you survive on paint, and words, education, and activism, and love
and poetry and theater, sewing needles, fabric, real films, and dance
and music not always played on the radio.
When you decide, despite the guns at your head.
To outlive your circumstance…
And breathe down the throats of those
who say you don't matter.
When you have done all this.
And a MAN or a WOMAN that you LOVE tells you that
They feel INADEQUATE. INSECURE. NOT QUITE ENOUGH.
NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
AROUND YOU. OR YOU MAKE THEM FEEL LESS THAN WHAT THEY ARE.
THEY FEEL EMASCULATED.
BECAUSE YOU ARE SO TOGETHER, SO STRONG, SO PERFECT TO
BRING AROUND THEIR MOMMAS.
I AM TELLING YOU TO NEVER SAY
"NO YOU'RE NOT BABY." "YOU HAVE LOTS OF POTENTIAL"
OR MAKE EXCUSES BECAUSE YOU ARE AFRAID OF BEING ALONE, OR "WHO'S GONNA WANT TO MARRY ME WITH THREE KIDS"
OR DECIDE YOU BETTER TONE DOWN YOUR MOUTH SO HE WON'T BE SCARED OF YOU, WHEN PEOPLE PAY YOU TO TALK!
IF YOU HAVE ALREADY BECOME A COLDER SACK CLONE TO FIT IN WITH THE REST OF THE WOMEN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
WHEN YOU HAVE HAD TO PAY TO GET YOUR LAST NAME BACK AT LEAST ONCE ALREADY WHEN YOU WEREN'T THE ONE CHEATING!
NEVER SAY, TO THIS MAGICAL, DREAMY PERSON THAT YOU LOVE:
"YOU ARE PERFECT FOR ME, I DON'T CARE HOW MUCH MONEY YOU MAKE OR THE CAR YOU DRIVE."
EVEN IF U DON'T CARE, DON'T TELL THEM THAT.
YOU KNOW WHAT I WANT YOU TO SAY?
WHAT I DARE YOU TO SAY FIERCE BAD ASS BITCH.
YOU SAY.
YOU KNOW WHAT.
YOU ARE INADEQUATE.
AND I DON'T DATE POTENTIAL ANYMORE
THAT IS SO 85!
AND I AM WAAAAY TOO FABULOUS FOR YOU.
YOU'RE RIGHT!!!
WHAT IN THE HELL WAS I THINKING!!?
YOU SAY THAT.
AND I PROMISE YOU, LIKE I'M PROMISING MYSELF
YOU WILL DO SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY
THAT DAY.
IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.
AND EVEN IF YOU EVENTUALLY GIVE IN
AND DECIDE, LIKE MOST WOMEN
TO SETTLE FOR LESS THAN WHAT THEY ARE OR WHAT THEY DESERVE.
AT LEAST YOU WILL HAVE THAT ONE DAY
WHEN YOU REALIZE
THAT YOU WERE BORN
WITH EVERYONE YOU NEED TO SURVIVE
ON THIS PLANET.
AND AS MUCH AS EVERYONE KNOWS HOW MUCH I AM IN LOVE WITH LOVE.
THERE IS NO GREATER LOVE, THAN THE
ONE YOU HAVE WITH YOUR CREATOR AND
YOURSELF.
WHEN YOU TRULY DECIDE TO NOT ENTERTAIN
MEDIOCRE, INFERIOR BEINGS,
WHO WILL ONLY SUCK EVERYTHING CREATIVE
OUT OF YOUR BODY.
YOU WILL GET RID OF THOSE FIBROIDS
FROM STRESS.
AND INSTEAD OF CRYING BECAUSE YOU ARE
SO POWERFUL AND MAGNIFICENT AND YOU
HAVEN'T FOUND A KING
WHO CAN HANDLE YOUR LIGHT
JUST YET..
YOU WILL
WRITE YOUR FIRST SCREENPLAY
CHOREOGRAPH A WORK OF ART
COMPLETE YOUR STRONGEST PIECE OF PROSE
BECOME THE CEO OF YOUR OWN COMPANY
GET THAT TENURE U DESERVE
TEACH YOUR GIRLS HOW TO LOVE THEMSELVES
INSPIRE SOMEONE TO BUY A BOOK
COMPOSE A SYMPHONY
WRITE A BEST SELLING NOVEL
APPLY FOR THAT GRANT
RAISE YOUR SONS ALONE
BUILD AN INSTITUTION
A SAFEHOUSE!!
FOR STRONG, INCREDIBLE WOMEN, WHO DON'T HAVE TO PRETEND TO NOT BE
WELL READ, ARTICULATE, BRILLIANT, TALENTED, SOULFUL,
AND FINE AS HELL.
WHEN WE KNOW WE ARE.
AND SO DO THEY.
YOU WILL BE TOO BUSY TAPING THIS SHIT TO YOUR FRIDGE
OR EMAILING IT TO HIS INBOX
AND SMILING AND EXPLODING WITH
JOY!!
ALL MY LOVE,
JESSICA CARE MOORE
Jessica Care Moore is a poet, activist, actor, book publisher, Apollo legend, and all out dope woman from detroit. under her company Moore Black Press, she has released several books of her own poetry, as well as works from acclaimed poets Saul Williams and Shariff Simmons. she has performed and collaborated with the likes of Nas, Talib Kweli, Anthony David, Mos Def, Sonia Sanchez, etc... and still comes through to all the little spots in detroit and blesses us with the genius. look her up and bask in the awesomeness of the Black Woman!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
A LETTER TO SELF
A Letter to Self: from Jessica Care Moore
i received this in an email today and wanted to share.
(*THANKS SHE'S SO FLY)
hopefully it can inspire someone like it inspired me. cause it is the TRUTH. if i ever read the truth.
THIS LETTER IS NOT FOR EVERY WOMAN. BUT MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, YOU!
DEAR JESS
After a decade of marriage and a year long relationship with a
beautiful friend, I have to write myself this letter as a promise. I
hope it's a promise that other women like me will make to themselves.
When you have been forced…
To spend your life fighting against the often aggressive sexual
exploitation of women through institutions, laws, the workforce, your
own family, school and just basic can't walk down the street without
being harassed your whole life….
When you are a woman of color, and you have survived being stereotyped
as every "round the way girl" at a bus stop, every video stripper in
every rappers video.
If you have decided, despite your family not coming from a line of
doctors, lawyers or educators, to take your own life, your story, your
fucking destiny into your own hands.
I am asking. No, I am daring you to be courageous enough.
To be fearless and confident enough….
When you have found a way to build an independent economic empire of your own..
When you told your nine to five to kiss your ass, and told your family
to deal with it.
The moment after you decide to no longer be a slave.
When you decide to not believe that the only thing you have to look
forward to in life is making babies, and being a wife.
When you find a way to delicately balance babies, be a wife and still
find time for a long bath at least one night per week.
When you have vowed to raise daughters as warriors.
And grown out your perm, or read more books then what would ever be
required in school.
When you decide to write your OWN relevant story and not wait for
validation from a culture outside of your own.
From no one!
When you survive on paint, and words, education, and activism, and love
and poetry and theater, sewing needles, fabric, real films, and dance
and music not always played on the radio.
When you decide, despite the guns at your head.
To outlive your circumstance…
And breathe down the throats of those
who say you don't matter.
When you have done all this.
And a MAN or a WOMAN that you LOVE tells you that
They feel INADEQUATE. INSECURE. NOT QUITE ENOUGH.
NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
AROUND YOU. OR YOU MAKE THEM FEEL LESS THAN WHAT THEY ARE.
THEY FEEL EMASCULATED.
BECAUSE YOU ARE SO TOGETHER, SO STRONG, SO PERFECT TO
BRING AROUND THEIR MOMMAS.
I AM TELLING YOU TO NEVER SAY
"NO YOU'RE NOT BABY." "YOU HAVE LOTS OF POTENTIAL"
OR MAKE EXCUSES BECAUSE YOU ARE AFRAID OF BEING ALONE, OR "WHO'S GONNA WANT TO MARRY ME WITH THREE KIDS"
OR DECIDE YOU BETTER TONE DOWN YOUR MOUTH SO HE WON'T BE SCARED OF YOU, WHEN PEOPLE PAY YOU TO TALK!
IF YOU HAVE ALREADY BECOME A COLDER SACK CLONE TO FIT IN WITH THE REST OF THE WOMEN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
WHEN YOU HAVE HAD TO PAY TO GET YOUR LAST NAME BACK AT LEAST ONCE ALREADY WHEN YOU WEREN'T THE ONE CHEATING!
NEVER SAY, TO THIS MAGICAL, DREAMY PERSON THAT YOU LOVE:
"YOU ARE PERFECT FOR ME, I DON'T CARE HOW MUCH MONEY YOU MAKE OR THE CAR YOU DRIVE."
EVEN IF U DON'T CARE, DON'T TELL THEM THAT.
YOU KNOW WHAT I WANT YOU TO SAY?
WHAT I DARE YOU TO SAY FIERCE BAD ASS BITCH.
YOU SAY.
YOU KNOW WHAT.
YOU ARE INADEQUATE.
AND I DON'T DATE POTENTIAL ANYMORE
THAT IS SO 85!
AND I AM WAAAAY TOO FABULOUS FOR YOU.
YOU'RE RIGHT!!!
WHAT IN THE HELL WAS I THINKING!!?
YOU SAY THAT.
AND I PROMISE YOU, LIKE I'M PROMISING MYSELF
YOU WILL DO SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY
THAT DAY.
IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.
AND EVEN IF YOU EVENTUALLY GIVE IN
AND DECIDE, LIKE MOST WOMEN
TO SETTLE FOR LESS THAN WHAT THEY ARE OR WHAT THEY DESERVE.
AT LEAST YOU WILL HAVE THAT ONE DAY
WHEN YOU REALIZE
THAT YOU WERE BORN
WITH EVERYONE YOU NEED TO SURVIVE
ON THIS PLANET.
AND AS MUCH AS EVERYONE KNOWS HOW MUCH I AM IN LOVE WITH LOVE.
THERE IS NO GREATER LOVE, THAN THE
ONE YOU HAVE WITH YOUR CREATOR AND
YOURSELF.
WHEN YOU TRULY DECIDE TO NOT ENTERTAIN
MEDIOCRE, INFERIOR BEINGS,
WHO WILL ONLY SUCK EVERYTHING CREATIVE
OUT OF YOUR BODY.
YOU WILL GET RID OF THOSE FIBROIDS
FROM STRESS.
AND INSTEAD OF CRYING BECAUSE YOU ARE
SO POWERFUL AND MAGNIFICENT AND YOU
HAVEN'T FOUND A KING
WHO CAN HANDLE YOUR LIGHT
JUST YET..
YOU WILL
WRITE YOUR FIRST SCREENPLAY
CHOREOGRAPH A WORK OF ART
COMPLETE YOUR STRONGEST PIECE OF PROSE
BECOME THE CEO OF YOUR OWN COMPANY
GET THAT TENURE U DESERVE
TEACH YOUR GIRLS HOW TO LOVE THEMSELVES
INSPIRE SOMEONE TO BUY A BOOK
COMPOSE A SYMPHONY
WRITE A BEST SELLING NOVEL
APPLY FOR THAT GRANT
RAISE YOUR SONS ALONE
BUILD AN INSTITUTION
A SAFEHOUSE!!
FOR STRONG, INCREDIBLE WOMEN, WHO DON'T HAVE TO PRETEND TO NOT BE
WELL READ, ARTICULATE, BRILLIANT, TALENTED, SOULFUL,
AND FINE AS HELL.
WHEN WE KNOW WE ARE.
AND SO DO THEY.
YOU WILL BE TOO BUSY TAPING THIS SHIT TO YOUR FRIDGE
OR EMAILING IT TO HIS INBOX
AND SMILING AND EXPLODING WITH
JOY!!
ALL MY LOVE,
JESSICA CARE MOORE
Jessica Care Moore is a poet, activist, actor, book publisher, Apollo legend, and all out dope woman from detroit. under her company Moore Black Press, she has released several books of her own poetry, as well as works from acclaimed poets Saul Williams and Shariff Simmons. she has performed and collaborated with the likes of Nas, Talib Kweli, Anthony David, Mos Def, Sonia Sanchez, etc... and still comes through to all the little spots in detroit and blesses us with the genius. look her up and bask in the awesomeness of the Black Woman!
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1 comment:
DAMN!!! Thank you so much for sharing this. This is the TRUTH universally for all women! For me, I'm looking for the male version of myself, because I know my worth, my standards, my confidence, my intelligence, my passion, and my love. Anyone that wants to step up to the plate cannot be any less than how much I value myself. This is why I've been so picky because no one has been able to speak my language and "get" me. But you know what? I think God's sent him my way already; I think he's found me. :)
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