“the search for my mother’s mother’s mother’s” a poem

by ShaRhonda Dawson

“The Search For My Mother’s, Mother’s, Mother’s”

In order to know about myself, I had to learn about my mother.

In order to know about my mother, I had to learn about her mother.

In order to know about my grandmother, I had to understand her mother and grandmothers

But there was no information on them, so I thought they were lost forever.

Then Science helped me! Science whispered the secret to Rick Kittles about the code to my mother’s, mother’s, mother’s from 500 to 2000 years ago.

My African grandmother was Mende, Balanta (Brassa), and Kru.

So, then I had to learn what was Mende, Balanta, and Kru.

In order to learn what it meant to be Mende, Balanta, and Kru, I had to learn about the Nile River Basin.

In order to learn about the Nile River Basin, I had to learn about the Songhai Empire.

In order to understand the Songhai Empire, I had to learn about the Mali Empire.

In order to understand the Mali Empire, I had to learn about the Wagadu/Ghana Empire.

In order to understand the Wagadu/Ghana Empire, I had to learn about the Exodus of the Songhai from the Nile River Valley.

In order to understand why Blacks had an exodus from the Nile River Valley, I had to understand the history of the Nile River Valley.

In order to understand the Nile River Valley, I had to re-orient myself and flip the map.

For I could only understand the Nile River Valley Civilizations, from a southern orientation of the world. Once I reoriented myself, and north was south, and east was west; I could understand the migration of civilization from “upper Kemet/egypt to lower /Kemet Egypt.

And, I then I thought I understood who I am and where I come from.

And then the science that once brought me to the stories of my mother’s, mother’s, mother’s, threw me another obstacle.

In order to understand the culture of Nile River Civilizations, I needed to know the culture of where they came from, the Sahara desert land.

In order to understand what lies under the Sahara desert, I have to go back to Africa’s humid period, 6000-12000 years ago, when the Sahara desert was the Sahara savannah.

And all that my grandmother’s left for me to find of the Sahara savannah are some cave paintings and Napta Playa.

So now I am praying science can tell me something about the Sahara savannah…but, my grandmother’s whisper to me, I will find them easier if I can reorient myself again…instead of flipping the map, I have to orient myself to the stars.

Luckily, they left me Napta Playa.

When I can orient myself to the Astro map of Napta Playa, it will lead to me know all about my mother’s, mother’s, mother’s, and where they have always been.

I finally realize, my grandmother’s, grandmother’s, grandmother’s, live both inside and outside earth, and my orientation is always changing…

because my grandmother’s, grandmother’s, grandmother’s spirits in space

and space has no direction…

and manipulates time and space…

so my grandmother’s, grandmother’s, grandmother’s, are in all places, accessible to me, depending on my accessibility to the boundlessness and directionless of space…

but, one of grandmother’s whispers to me, “you will find the next map on sigi tolo”