Email Poem

Your IP Address: 3.144.225.144
Your Email Address:
To Email Address:
Subject
Personal Note:
Poem Title:
Poem
When I Was Born in '45
By Franklin Price
08/08/202

When I was born in '45, was another time and place
Merritt Island, I called home, we had not gone to space
Segregation was the way, we lived back in the day
From then until the 60's, in the south, no other way.

Black was black and white was white, did not have a common tether
Lived in different neighborhoods, went to different schools together
The colored , as we knew them, lived up in colored town,
Picked the oranges, dug the ditches, that thought now, brings on a frown

Their town was north of where we lived, just a holler and a shout
My father knew a lot of things, would go to help them out
Electrician was his job back then, worked at the Naval base
He helped everyone he could, did not matter what their race

He took me along sometimes, to help was the disguise
He let me see how others lived, and opened up my eyes
They did not live much different, than the way we lived back then
That we practiced segregation was the separating sin

Blacks and whites had their own schools, we ate at different places.
Bathrooms and water fountains labeled for the different races.
When we went to the movies, no matter what there was to see
The blacks went up the stairs outside, to the back of the balcony

All the way through lower grades and on to Cocoa high
I never went to school with blacks, and seldom wondered why
That was just the way it was back then, each race had its place
Per the Constitution equal, but not if black was on your face

We didn't have much money, and to have little more,
I went to work, when I was fourteen, at the five and ten cents store.
Cleaned the counters, washed the dishes, mopped the floors, when I was done
Got paid on every Friday, earning for myself was fun.

There were no blacks, that I remember, that were working on the floor
Or in the shopping center, at any other kind of store.
Don't know if they were sent away, due to the color of their skin
Or whether they did not apply, 'cause they were never getting in

In the Summers, while in High School, I did construction work
My brother was the boss man, he let me do it as a perk
Had no special skills to do it, only supply the simple labors
Was the only white faced laborer, black faces were my neighbors

This was my very first time, to be working as a black
They took me underneath their arms, I knew they had my back
Taught me how to work just right, to make it through the day
Without exception, were my friends, who helped me earn my pay

I graduated high school, in 1964, 
College not the thing for me, so I went off to war
Joined the U.S. Air Force to grow and get away
To find what life was all about, not sit around and play.

Finished basic training, then a year or so in school
I did well in all of that, I was not raised a fool
A year or so was stateside, then a year in Vietnam
Different colors, were all brothers, in support of Uncle Sam

I'm not saying some weren't racist, but it wasn't hard and fast
We were sent there all together, if colors fought, we would not last
We had a common enemy, the north, and Vietcong
To fight ourselves, because of color, was a lot more, than just wrong

While lines of color blended in that land across the sea
MLK and many others demonstrated to be free
Although we fought a civil war, and Lincoln freed the slaves, 
Blacks were not yet white man's equals, from their birthings to their graves

The sixties opened many eyes, also opened up the door
Gave blacks ins to education, to rise up from being poor
Set quotas for employment, for the equal qualified
For a chance to grab the golden ring, from life's rotating ride

Marches made throughout the south and a few up in the north
Over the years, and up 'til now, still going back and forth
Should be about equality, not who's wielding all the power
When We the People, make it happen, it will be our finest hour

When privilege has no color, and effort opens up the door
And excellence is something that we all are striving for
Until all of this is recognized and given what its due
We still will have what we have now. There will be nothing new.
CAPTCHA Preview
Type the characters you see in the picture
Required