I remember the first time I read the phrase sky brown momma

Penned by Toni Morrison, I knew who she had in mind.

The sky isn’t brown, no

But the word sky is not to denote a color but more so a feeling

The sky is expansive

And so is the rise in your cheekbones, high enough for the sun to kiss

Gilding your face

Your light umber skin, stretched smooth across those cheek bones

Alighted with dark brown moles

The sky can take your breath away

And so you took mine.

I would sit and look at you,

Your hair, your skin, your laugh, your beautiful almond eyes, your full berry stained lips

And praise God for your beauty

Because not only did I see it,

I felt it

The rise in your cheeks as you smiled, your smell, your presence as encompassing as the sky

Filled me with warmth

And still does

As I sit where you sat, walked where you walked.

The sky humbles me

And so do you.

The pain you went through is overshadowed by your unbridled resilience

Brilliant you are

You thought a little differently

A little brown girl who no one understood, who people wrote off, mistreated and undervalued

Became an Ivy League Graduate, Published Author

And one hell of a Mother

But what melts me from the inside …

Was that heart of yours

Bruised and stitched

But pumping harder than any other I’ve ever met

Washing over every encounter with generosity

Every stich of your needle,

Words that were said,

Presents on my bed,

Unrelenting belief in me

Was so delicately wrapped in your thoughtful and unyielding love.

You’ve filled me with a lifetime’s worth

And I have to remember this when I miss you

Your gentle stroke on my scalp will always be felt

I will hear you tell me I am beautiful on my worst days

And see your sky brown face when it rains

You will forever be the most precious gift God has given me

I will fulfill both your dreams and my own

Your heart in me will be your legacy

I promise you.

Before writing this,

I set out to write my best piece of work for you

But no words can memorialize the love you have given me

So my life is my poem to you.

I love you in all that I do, 

My Sky Brown Momma