African American Artist Betye Saar's Black Girl's Window, 1969 - www.betyesaar.net

Through My Black Girl's Window by Ananda Leeke

Copyright 2008 by Madelyn C. Leeke

Excerpt from That Which Awakens Me (Winter 2009, iUniverse, Inc.)

This poem was inspired by African American artist Betye Saar's Black Girl's Window (1969, mixed media assemblage).

The first time I opened my Black girl's window and saw positive images that looked like me was in 1970 when I sat thumbing through my mother's first issue of Essence magazine.

Those beautiful Black women dancing on the pages of my Black womanhood bible excited my six year old self.

Their rainbow colors celebrated the Crayola diversity of African women.

Their physical features were chiseled by African ancestors and blended with Middle Passage heritage.

Their lips were full and juicy with goodness, puckered and thin with devastating smiles, and in between a middle line of blackberry sweet.

Their hair was luscious and thick, fine and straight, curly and fuzzy, braided and elegant.

Their bodies were all shapes and sizes.

They made it easy for me to say what Lorraine Hansberry wrote:

"I was born black and female."