Saying "YES!"
Updated: Mar 1, 2020
By June Allen

(C) June Allen Yard of Greatness
How many times a day do you say no to yourself?
You deny your joy,
your peace,
Your serenity.
Many of us are so use to feeling deprived
that we don't know what yes feels like.
I'm not talking about the compulsive, behavioural yes’s
that help us avoid who we are or mask our pain.
I'm talking about the yes
that takes us deeper into ourselves
the one that requires vulnerability,
tenderness and wins victories.
Under the system of racism,
no has become a toxic force in our DNA.
No to feelings.
No to sharing.
No to being.
In healing, we learn that saying no to our needs is how we survived.
We kept the peace, avoided conflict
and numbed the pain of abandonment
from dysfunctional care givers
and racist institutions.
In time, our racial sobriety reveals
a new sense of self.
We stand up straight,
We bump our fists
and bring the yes to nurturing our sacredness and shine.
Today, when I feel the need to deny who I am,
I will remember that saying no to depravity
is saying yes to my serenity.
I am the yes that I seek.