A Small Glimmer of Light
what is my claim to fame
a face in a crowd
no name
that stands me out from the multitude
wading aimless in this bottomless vat
searching
for a glimmer of that somewhere light
climbing on ladder straights
that bend and break
from the pressure of generations
that sleep in hollow graves
shedding tears from hollow eyes
dried bones ache no more
from the pains of life
buried in this hole called nowhere
enclosed by walls that echo and scream
scream
when they remember yesterday
cry
when they think tomorrow
no longer seeking
the warm rays of the sun
even in death
there work is undone
ancestral spirits stand in the wings
hover over trees
whispering hold on
don't give in to the bend in my back
don't be afraid to let go of today
there is light at the top
of this bottomless vat
i have held centuries
who walked before you
tubman, booker t, dubois
sojourner, malcom, martin luther
just to name a few
don't give up to the ache in you feet
the pain in your hips
the chafe on your lips
the blood in the palm
of your outstretched hand
no one to understand
the pressure in the pit of your chest
broken heart
aching back
lost in the crowd of this bottomless vat
no father, no mother
no sister, no brother
a friend
an illusion of the mind
time has erased
all traces of humanness
climbing the ladder
to that somewhere success
hold on to your straight
don't give in to the weight of those
that stand on your toes
sap your strength
make you weak
smile in your face
then, slap the other cheek
you did not die from the knife
in your back
healed over scars
hidden wounds
its too soon
your don't have time
to form an attack
even with the knife
hanging from your back
peek the dawn that's about to break
it's all right to cry
no time to hate
stretch your arm
grab another straight
step once more upon my back
there is light at the top
of this bottomless vat
hold on
don't give up
you're on your way
to a place called
freedom
Copyright © Carolyn Kemp | Year Posted 2006
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