Yup I'm still awake. I went downstairs to dig through book boxes to find this poem. It's for all of my friends who are going through tough times right now.

Up Sister by Ruth Forman

Jus get your beautiful black behind
Up off that cold Armstrong tile

Don't give up
don't give up jus cuz you don't see no where to go
We have faith in you

You are brilliant and bold
like nobody I have ever seen before
How the hell you think you got this far anyway?

Can't do it no more huh
too tired...to achin
to arch to the ceilin one more time
Jus to find you back on the floor tomorrow

Girl don't you know that floor got
the change that fell out my pocket
when I was huggin my knees by the corner last night?
And Bessie's birth control
and Billie's Marlboros
and Muscarat and matches and mace
and everything else you could find
in a woman's pockets that fall out
when she collapses with a hundred pound sigh

But you know how we leave that floor?
Some hand reaches in that darkness and pulls you up by the waist
Even when you don't want to go
cause it has faith in you
See you got to get up cuz you're US
and when you fall WE get bruised

Sometimes you can't do it by yourself
but you got a hand reachin out right now
Don't you know
you got a hundred hands
from every single Black woman who claims that floor

Yes you'll find yourself here again
But for now
jus worry bout gettin your beautiful black behind up
off that cold Armstrong tile

And don't worry about that lipstick sittin by your corner
I'll get it next time I'm here.