BLACK LOVE

I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME I HEARD PRINCE SING “ADORE”
A DESCRIPTION OF LOVE SO DEEP IT SEEMED SHALLOW TO THOSE WHO’D NEVER FELT IT
HE SAID “LOVE IS TOO WEAK TO DEFINE JUST WHAT YOU MEAN TO ME” AND IT SEEMED LIKE HE WAS BULLSHITTING, EMBELLISHING
I WASN’T HATING
I WAS JUST RELATING TO THE IMAGES I’VE SEEN, PERSONALLY.
NOTHING EVER QUITE AS PROFOUND
PAIN AND BITTERNESS WINNING OVER JOY IN EVERY ROUND
UNTIL THAT NIGHT
OH, THAT GLORIOUS NIGHT WHEN I SAW TWO PAIRS OF DARK BROWN EYES MEET EACHOTHER WITH SUCH UNITY AND GENTLE UNDERSTANDING AS THEY ENGAGED IN A DANCE
AS ONE
AT LAST
THE VERY DEFINITION OF WHAT I’D BEEN SEARCHING FOR
SOMETHING THAT SEEMED MYTHICAL
SOMETHING I CLAIMED DIDN’T EXIST SINCE I WASN’T ALIVE DURING THE TIME OF MALCOLM AND BETTY OR MARTIN AND CORETTA
BUT THAT NIGHT ON THE TV
I SAW IT
AND I DIDN’T NEED TO BE IN THE FRONT ROW OR EVEN IN THE BUILDING TO BE BLINDED BY THE DIVINE GLOW OF BLACK LOVE