Black Boy, Rise

Black boy,

you are the sun’s first light,

breaking through the shadows of doubt.

You are the laughter of ancestors,

the echo of freedom,

the rhythm of a drum that cannot be silenced.

Your joy is a revolution,

a defiance of the weight they tried to place on your shoulders.

You are more than their headlines,

their whispers, their stares—

you are a symphony of brilliance

that demands to be heard.

Black boy,

do you know the power in your smile?

It shatters chains,

it bends the world toward justice,

it turns grief into gardens,

where roses bloom in defiance of concrete.

They will tell you to dim your light,

to fold your dreams into smaller boxes.

But you, Black boy, are boundless.

Your laughter is a battle cry,

your joy an act of rebellion,

your hope a bridge to tomorrow.

Black boy, rise.

Dance like the world is your witness,

sing like the heavens are listening.

Run toward your future

with the wind of kings at your back

and the fire of queens in your soul.

When the world grows heavy,

when it tells you that you are not enough,

remember:

You are the promise of generations,

the manifestation of dreams.

You are poetry in motion,

a light that will never go out.

Black boy,

you are a miracle,

a masterpiece,

a beacon.

So, hold your head high,

step boldly into the sun.

Because your joy is not just your own—

it is hope,

it is legacy,

it is the dawn of something beautiful yet to come.