Coconut Bunny Cake

3rd grade is a big year for little black girls
growing up on concrete pads in big cities
going to neighborhood schools under
eyes of neighbors who kept watch
eyes of aunts who kept us clean
eyes of the bricks counting cadence
so we were never late to school

3rd grade is big year for little black girls
living in poor walkup stone apartments
with so very many gypsy children
playing in vacant lots of cut glass
playing under blankets in bedrooms
playing in the high heel shoes of mothers
pretending to be like the white Barbie

3rd grade is a big year for little black girls
struggling to believe nappy hair is beautiful
hoping to believe in the after school specials
to believe that Officer Friendly made us safe
to believe that pink skates made us cool
to believe we could be more than Julia on TV

3rd grade is a big year for little black girls
when you are an oddball for being smart
when you have to be tough to make it
and you are picked to bring cupcakes
and your mother brings a store bought cake
and you know you are her little black girl