We Are the Gift

We are the whispered stories
folded into photo albums
and recipe cards without measurements.

We are the blanket that belonged to somebody’s mama’s mama
and the scent of cocoa butter on Sunday.

We are the hand-me-down wisdom
stitched into lullabies
and the sacred no one wrote down,
but everyone knew.

We are the gift
and the giver,
the memory
and the maker,
the echo
and the origin.

We are what stays
long after the paper is gone.
Long after the page is colored in.
Long after the voice has quieted.

Joy is the ribbon.
Healing is the wrap.
Legacy is the note tucked gently inside
that says:

I made this for you.
I thought of you when I chose this.
I left this behind because I knew you’d need it.

Not everything we inherit fits in a box.
Some things live in our bones.
And some gifts live longer than we do.

- jaha Knight (c) dakari Moon 2025