Dear Mary: Woman to woman

Luke 1:39-56

One: 

Did you believe from the start 

Did you question the angel 

Woman to woman 

This advent season 

I am questioning what I should just believe 

Was there ever a moment you had doubts 

I should know that Black lives matter 

But I have no proof that we matter to the police On our blocks 

Or the juries who sit in court 

Kyle Rittenhouse was just found not guilty on all charges (Let Google be your guide) 

Where did your great faith come from 

Two: 

When I was pregnant 

I was excited about being a mother 

I was also afraid 

I didn’t know the gender of my child 

But I knew the baby would be Black 

I believed I would have a wonderful child 

What I knew and what I know 

Is that the world treats Black children differently But then you came to know all about that 

Three: 

When you went to visit Elizabeth 

Her baby leaped in her womb 

What did you say 

You both exclaimed blessings 

Did you share any other emotions 

Four: 

When I was pregnant 

My friend was pregnant too 

We took long walks together 

We celebrated and cried together too 

One time when I got home I was nervous and afraid It was around my eighth month of pregnancy I told my son’s father how happy I was to be having a baby

But how scared I was too 

Did you ever have a moment like that 

You stayed with Elizabeth three months during her pregnancy Did you or she ever have a confession like mine 

Five: 

Praise 

Blessed are you, Mary 

Mother of our Lord 

Woman to woman 

Tell me how you held such an announcement 

You, a woman of your age and a virgin would bare a child Were you nervous about telling Joseph 

But then you had Elizabeth, your relative 

Also pregnant 

Also in her old age 

Woman to woman 

Tell me how happy you were to be chosen

Ms. Jaha Zainabu is a Los Angeles-based internationally acclaimed poet and visual artist. As the Artist-In-Residence for WomanPreach! Inc., she provides poems, stories, and insights for each programming event. She released her third book of poetry,365.2013: A Poem A Day Series in 2017. She performs all throughout the U.S. and has been featured on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam. She leads workshops on writing for healing, social justice writing, and works with young people on their poetry skills. In addition to poetry and storytelling, Jaha is a visual artist and photographer. Jaha is currently a Creative Writing Instructor for the Community Literature Initiative in Los Angeles, CA.