Love Letter to Water
Somewhere beyond the umbilical responsibility of family trees,
our ancestors were children who migrated as messengers, butterflies, and water.
Our ancestors are children who could've imagined what their future held,
but their sacred air ended abruptly.
Weighted feet plunging, sinking, and anchoring an untold story.
In your black and blue depths, I find the echoes of my ancestors’ songs,
a melody that hums through the ripples of time.
Your waves are the lulling cradle and the courageous current,
the baptism and the voyage,
whispering secrets of a history that turn into siren songs.
Our ancestors’ tears touched soil and nourished the earth.
Their buried seeds became trees - breathe into the sky and echoes of their cries rain over us.
You hold the memory of every tear shed,
every sweat-soaked dream,
And each drop of rain that kissed the cheeks of disheartened people.
Water, you are the liquid soul that nurtures the roots of our resilience.
From the mother’s womb to the ocean of existence,
our hearts pulse with your rhythm,
our spirits carried on your currents.
Cleansing the scars of a diaspora scattered across the waves
and nourishing the seeds of tomorrow.
You are the cycle, the endless flow,
from cloud to rain to river to sea,
a testament to rebirth,
to the unbroken line of our survival.
With every wave, you tell us:
We are here.
We endure.
We rise.
Photo by Tony Gebrehiwot
In 2022, Jasmine was awarded the JAYU Arts For Human Rights iAM Award recognizing her passions in social justice and the arts. Jasmine continues her development through opportunities that align with her mission of inspiring, empowering, and amplifying marginalized voices through community engagement and arts education.