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Attica To Alcatraz



From sea to shining sea,
‘Merica ain’t never been nothin’ but
a prison for
angry black boys like me

Childish rage moved my hands,
hateful oppression reaction expression
made me feel iron containment

Understanding finally came,
when I began to reason as a man,
not a beast ... a blank history page 
lashing out mindlessly in a lion cage

Knowledge was the skeleton key
which unlocked 
the bone secrets of antiquity: 
Our cultural ash memory
tossed to the watery deep of irrelevancy
A stolen heritage
drown trussed in the Atlantic sea

A peaceful alchemy transformation
was the guinea pig release
setting this bird of fire Exodus free

Shackled from the day
we were brought
to this bitter,   strange fruit ground
                                                
Papa Justify                                
told Fiddler and Kizzy,              
you in ‘Merica ... so, dance        
and sing                                       
when you hear the Dixie flag sound
                                                      
Sadly, our swollen eyes      looked up
to the sweltering, captivity sky
As our runaway fears
were bloodhound chased,
to the northern star tabernacle side

From Attica to Alcatraz,
we’ve been progressively plantation movin’
swiftly back to the past

While the golden amber
milk carton alert
has been Five-O siren blastin’

All us tar babies
have been code blue cryin’
and white cells missin’
in the red dirt

From see to darkly see,
nobody seems to hear our hurt
‘Merica’s in a deep beauty sleep,
as the iron bars are openin’

Somebody up there,
who loves me,
has heard our 400 years of tears ...
and set the pain free

Copyright © | Year Posted 2018




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Date: 8/3/2018 10:13:00 AM
I once was in Federal Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas. Truly a scary experience. We were representing a church. When I heard the heavy metal door close behind me I vowed that I would never return and haven't since Summer of 1973.
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Date: 8/2/2018 10:13:00 PM
Yup---to set you free to recount the story again and again, so that it NEVER happens AGAIN! (Like we Jews say about Hitler and Eichmann's crematoria-- NEVER AGAIN!!). Joy and light, FRJ ~ Gershon
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Date: 8/2/2018 6:53:00 PM
A heartfelt emotional and informative write my friend...love & light...^WW^
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Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry