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We Are One
- Zakiya Hakizimana
- Apr 15
- 2 min read
The earth has been watching us long before we learned how to look back
She remembers our feet
bare,
cracked,
dancing,
running,
rooted.
Pressed into her body like signatures
we never meant to erase
When black women weep,
the soil does not rush us
Instead she opens
Receives salt and sorrow,
turns grief into minerals,
turns mourning into something that can grow
Our joy rises differently
laughter loosening the ground,
hips teaching the land how to sway again
Flowers lean closer when we laugh
Even the stones soften their listening
The oceans carry our prayers
because they recognize our depth
They know what it means to hold memory without spilling it,
to be vast and still tender,
to swallow names and return them as waves
Trees remember us
They speak our grandmothers’ names in rings,
stretch their arms the way we do
reaching for light while standing firm in truth
They learned endurance by watching us
The earth saw our labor
before it was called strength
Felt our backs bend,
our hands blister,
our wombs carry worlds
and still kneel to plant.
She bore witness and did not turn away
When we rise, the ground rises with us
Cracks open not as wounds, but as doorways
Rebirth is not new to the earth
she learned it from black women
We are not separate from her
We are her memory speaking,
her breath walking upright,
her spirit wrapped in skin.
And still,
when we forget ourselves,
the earth whispers: I know who you are.
About Kiyaza
Kiyaza the Poet is a multifaceted author and creative whose work bridges poetry, design, and self-discovery. In her book Lost Between the Sheets, she invites readers into her intimate journey through relationships, friendships, and the layered experiences of life as a Black woman. Beyond her literary voice, Kiyaza channels her artistry into Water Lily Studios, a design platform of journals and planners, where she encourages creativity, organization, and self-sufficiency in everyday life.
Her latest creation, Poetry in Bloom, is a collection of handmade, framed poems adorned with pressed flowers, celebrating beauty, resilience, and the art of storytelling.
Kiyaza’s writing focuses on the raw and reflective journey of self-discovery while exploring love, loss, healing, and growth through the lens of a Black woman’s experience.
Connect with Kiyaza!
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