Inheritance

Mother England surrogated me And O her white breast was sweet Honey on my tongue muting misery While banana trash tied my feet She stripped me naked in her bed No culture clothe me from winter’s cold Her language like a saber in my head O mother England ships were bold I was the darkie holding the flag On the native shores of my own heart Knowing well history wears the cloth to rag For mother I did my patriotic part And when the sugar season was done And the black mint tea in the cup Said I lag behind the fifth son I convulsed, and identity hiccupped Who is my father, then I asked And why is my skin not pure as yours Why are you rich, when I am tasked Why only pity for hunger and sores? Hush child, don’t listen to America Them ******* are ungrateful, boy They will go from school to Attica Democracy is too precious to destroy But I did not ask about another land I wanted my promise to keep in my hand Because I saw the waves gnawing sand And knew I am dead if I had no plan. So around the fireside of leaky huts Kit and kin we dreamt and went To Liverpool from our Stony Guts And subtle too was our intent. For mother stored their her stolen wealth Repatriated from the mangled shores Yes we can work but like Anancy’s stealth We will castle our rights and keep the stores.