The Thesis & Speak Your Name
By Melaina Williams
The Thesis
To study life
watch a child chase bubbles
as they brilliantly take up on air
and then . . .
POP!
leaving a mist of soap water freckles
on the skin.
A very present joy and
a very present longing for more.
Speak Your Name
Mama, you’re not invisible.
You’re not behind the scenes.
We see you
stoking the fire to tiny dreams,
getting up in the middle of the night
just to check if that tummy is rising just right,
making sure the milk is right on time.
Mama, you’re not forgotten
especially at the end of the day
when you don’t know what you’ve accomplished
and you don’t have any words to say
but the house will tell it all.
Oh, how you’ve baked love into the walls
and prayers into the floorboards.
Mama, you’re not alone.
Locked up in a lonely cell.
There’s other mamas with that same story to tell
or the same question to ask,
same frustration to face,
same marathon to race.
So Mama, keep showing up
even if that means you bring tears into the space,
a cookie too many in the middle of the day,
a walk around the neighborhood to escape,
a discussion with a father that’s long overdue,
a decision to start a career anew or
end one to find what is more true
to the you
you are becoming
everyday
‘cause Mama, you are everything
and not enough all at once.
That’s a beautiful thing:
to be the caregiver
and the one in need of care.
Mama is a prefix to
YOUR NAME HERE.
What is your name Mama?
Say your name, Mama.
Speak your name, Mama.
Shout your name, Mama.
That’s your name, Mama.
Many mamas before you
gathered you up to ceremony
that name over you
just as you consulted with them
for your little ones.
You are not bottles, diapers,
hospital visits, work emails, discount days,
spit up, breakdowns, strollers, pots, and pans.
You got veins and blood and cells, Mama,
and lungs and spine and heart and soul, Mama,
spirit, Mama.
Yes, Mama, more than us seeing you,
You better see yourself.
You better wake up
and speak your name.
MELAINA WILLIAMS is a poet, playwright, singer/songwriter from Inglewood California. She finds great joy in connecting with people of all backgrounds through creative arts, especially creative writing. Melaina studied Creative Writing and Theatre at USC. Her book of poetry, “Bless Your Sweet Bones” was published by the historical World Stage Press in Leimert Park. She also penned, “The Humble Commode” a chapbook. She currently lives in Los Angeles and spends her days writing and binge-watching Cocomelon with her daughter.