To Be A Prophetess

God called you by a blessed name, Prophetess

Then wove Heaven into the palms of your hands.

As we floated down the river Nile

It was our lives you watched over

Our victories you prophesied and imagined into song

But, Prophetess, there will be those who despise you; the wrathful, the envious

Who crave to tear your holy linens from you

For your voice will rise as thunder amongst whispers of doubt and disbelief

and your flesh they will deem unworthy of your divine name

But they will not make kindling of your triumph, no.

For what is a grain of salt to a blaze?

They will curse, they will agonize, they will celebrate, they will praise

They will speak of everything but you

Until your life is a hymn no more.

Tell me, if miracles leave my lips, will they forget me too?

Janan Graham-Russell is a writer based in Evanston, Illinois. In 2016, she graduated from the Howard University School of Divinity with a Master of Arts in Religious Studies. Her writing focuses on culture, history, religion and theology through Black feminist and womanist lenses. Her work has been featured in The Atlantic as well as Mormon Feminism: Essential Writings (2015) and A Book of Mormons (2015). When she's not writing or doing research, she enjoys dancing to Beyonce, watching films, and spending time with her husband and infant son.

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