Lyrks
Lyrks
Lyrks
Cover Art

Haiku and Tanka for Harriet Tubman Lyrics by Sonia Sanchez

Poetry April 2018

0

1
Picture a woman
riding thunder on
the legs of slavery    ...
        2
Picture her kissing
our spines saying no to
the eyes of slavery    ...
        3
Picture her rotating
the earth into a shape
of lives becoming    ...
        4
Picture her leaning
into the eyes of our
birth clouds    ...
        5
Picture this woman
saying no to the constant
yes of slavery    ...
        6
Picture a woman
jumping rivers her
legs inhaling moons    ...
        7
Picture her ripe
with seasons of
legs    ...   running    ...
        8
Picture her tasting
the secret corners
of woods    ...
        9
Picture her saying:
You have within you the strength,
the patience, and the passion
to reach for the stars,
to change the world    ...  
        10
Imagine her words:
Every great dream begins
with a dreamer    ...    
        11
Imagine her saying:
I freed a thousand slaves,
could have freed
a thousand more if they
only knew they were slaves    ...    
        12
Imagine her humming:
How many days we got
fore we taste freedom    ...    
        13
Imagine a woman
asking: How many workers
for this freedom quilt    ...    
        14
Picture her saying:
A live runaway could do
great harm by going back
but a dead runaway
could tell no secrets    ...    
        15
Picture the daylight
bringing her to woods
full of birth moons    ...
        16
Picture John Brown
shaking her hands three times saying:
General Tubman. General Tubman. General Tubman.
        17
Picture her words:
There’s two things I got a
right to: death or liberty    ...    
        18
Picture her saying no
to a play called Uncle Tom’s Cabin:
I am the real thing    ...    
        19
Picture a Black woman:
could not read or write
trailing freedom refrains    ...
        20
Picture her face
turning southward walking
down a Southern road    ...
        21
Picture this woman
freedom bound    ...    tasting a
people’s preserved breath    ...
        22
Picture this woman
of royalty    ...    wearing a crown
of morning air    ...
        23
Picture her walking,
running, reviving
a country’s breath    ...
        24
Picture black voices
leaving behind
lost tongues   ...
Credits
Sonia Sanchez

Sonia Sanchez

About “Haiku and Tanka for Harriet Tubman” by Sonia Sanchez

Read the complete lyrics to "Haiku and Tanka for Harriet Tubman" by Sonia Sanchez from the album "Poetry April 2018". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Literature, Poetry, Non-Music.

"Haiku and Tanka for Harriet Tubman" is performed by Sonia Sanchez. from the album "Poetry April 2018" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Haiku and Tanka for Harriet Tubman", explore more songs by Sonia Sanchez using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for Sonia Sanchez · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"Haiku and Tanka for Harriet Tubman" is credited to Sonia Sanchez. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Haiku and Tanka for Harriet Tubman" appears on "Poetry April 2018".

Visit the Sonia Sanchez artist page at /artist/sonia-sanchez for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.