Here is a Story (nonfiction)

Dedicated to the Fisk University Class of 2012

By: LaQuasha Logan, Fisk ’12

                                                We stand
On legacies built of bricks
Mixed with their tears
Molded by their hands,
Built on their songs.

                                                We stand.
Becoming more than human
Believing more than what we see
Being cultivated by love and circumstance,

                                                We find ourselves.
Discovering our super powers in the pages of du Bois
In the poems of Clifton
And in the words of a King,

                                                 We find ourselves.
Hoping to make our own marks on campus groves
Striving to leave messages for those next in line
Praying to walk away fulfilled,
To be useful to the world
To be golden to someone.

                                                   We pray.
Through tests in the classroom
And in the dorms.
In chapels where spirituality is sacred
Where peace resides, untarnished,

We pray.
Seeking salvation of mind,
Never forgetting the God of our weary years
And our silent tears,
Ever on the altar.

                                                   We learn.
Allowing our souls to be made beautiful
Our spirits to be broken and rebuilt
Nurtured into our true self,

                                                    We learn
That responsibility is a privilege,
And we must take advantage of this place
And it’s sounds
And it’s times
And it’s story.

                                                     We live.
Sharing ourselves with others
Understanding our past
Enjoying our present
Giving our all to the future,

                                                      We thrive.
Editing a story that is written everyday
Each taking a page
And penning our pain
And joy
And pride,

                                                      We thrive,
Continuing his
Her
Our (HBCU)
Story.
Understanding that there cannot be a victory
Without a battle
And no glory
With blank pages.

Chicago native LaQuasha Logan is a 2012 graduate of Fisk University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and a concentration in Women and Gender Studies. She is now completing a master’s degree in Women and Gender Studies at Loyola University as well as an internship at the Chicago Battered Women’s Network. Her passion lies between the lines of her poetry. She dreams of being a viable force in advocacy for women as well as education for African Americans, particularly in HBCUs and aspires to earn the English Ph.D. Follow her on twitter at @Qbella_PhD.

1 COMMENT

LEAVE A REPLY