Mother Tongue

Adorned

and kissed by the sun,

I was born

with rhythm in my hips

and in my hands

the means to create—

to mold purpose

with precision.

Kings and queens

birthed from my womb,

in hues of melanin.

Honey drips from my lips,

nourishment for the spirit

stirring it into action.

A language older than words

resting gently on my tongue.

Long before

I was forced into submission—

told assimilation

was the price of survival—

I thrived in the wilderness.

Now called to return,

I run,

I crawl,

I shake my ass

in reverence

of my homecoming.

Behind the Title: “Mother Tongue”

“Mother Tongue” speaks to the language we carry in our bodies long before words ever form on our lips. For many within the African diaspora, our connection to the Motherland was disrupted through displacement, colonization, and forced assimilation. Yet something within us remembers.

Sometimes that memory shows up in the sway of our hips, the rhythm of our music, the way our voices rise in song, or the deep reverence we feel when we stand beneath the sun.

This poem is a reflection on that knowing.

It honors the creative power of the Black feminine, the resilience of those who came before us, and the quiet pull many of us feel toward a home we may never have physically known, yet somehow recognize in our spirit.

“Mother Tongue” is both remembrance and return.

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ABOUT LaVianca Asante’

LaVianca Asante’ is a writer, creative visionary, and sacred space holder devoted to restoring women and couples to wholeness through intentional living, spiritual alignment, and embodied love.

Through storytelling, marriage ministry, and immersive experiences, she weaves together faith, healing, and artistry—guiding women and partners to rediscover sacred rest, divine identity, and the practice of love as a living, daily devotion. Her work honors both individual sovereignty and relational harmony, inviting deeper intimacy with self, one another, and God Within.

As the founder of The Soft Sanctuary, LaVianca curates gentle yet transformative spaces for renewal, reflection, and recalibration—where softness is reclaimed as strength and rest becomes a radical act of alignment. Within her marriage ministry, she supports couples in cultivating emotional intimacy, spiritual literacy, and intentional partnership rooted in purpose rather than performance.

Her work explores the intersections of faith, femininity, restoration, and creative freedom—calling readers and participants alike into lives of presence, reverence, and aligned becoming.

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