The Healers

The Healers
By Leslé Honoré

Healing is bravery 
Touching the pain 
Naming it 
Acknowledging it 
The How 
The Why 
The When 
it happened 
Is as important as 
The scar 
Healing is a verb
It is an action 
It is work 
When our bodies are injured 
Our cells need time to 
Heal 
Repair 
Reconstruct 
So does 
Our trauma 
Generations deep 
A wound 
Covered by denial 
By power 
By white supremacy 
Needs to exposed to the light 
Needs to be supported 
Needs allies in more than just name 
The boots To the ground
Needs policy in place 
New laws to protect 
The silenced
Need to be heard 
The truths 
Need to be spoken 
And so many of us 
Need to listen 
Listen without preparing 
words to answer 
Listen without defense 
We will need to work 
In more than theory 
In more than action plans 
But the equity of shoulder to shoulder 
Sweat 
Of heart to heart vulnerability 
Of soul to soul transparency 
supporting each other as we grow 
New cells of hope 
New skins of kinship 
We can do the labor 
To be reborn 
A new people
with new hearts and minds 
We are brave enough 
To do this work 
To heal
Together 

To listen to this poem performed by Leslé Honoré, tune into Centering Healing, Serving Community 
(Time mark: 23:52)