Let My People Go

Let My People Go Ain’t I a woman? Ain’t I a girl? Ain’t I one to bleed in underwear? Ain’t I one to wear brazier And raise them high into the air? Ain’t I one to carry life And push it out into the world? Ain’t I worth more than the work of my hands And the color of my skin? Ain’t I more than a thing , tossed and flung To whichever distance? Ain’t I one to refuse the advance of a gentleman? Sleeping in the kitchen floor Scraping scraps under the belly of a boar Ain’t I a child ,now Crying for momma To sweep my tears off the ground? Sold off to different masters They broke the bond That God put in place They erased my name And replaced it with slave Or “girl” no matter my age I done hear sayings Moses and the North Star Crossing the river Going underground Leading slaves To freedom, now Leave master’s house He’ll whip my behind Or leave me dead on the ground Owned colored folk Own no materials No property No books A sense of humor Singing old ***** spirituals Keep them afloat A slow, steady pressure Hammered into their heads And down their throats You must work ‘till you’re dead “Yes master “ Don’t you dare talk back Branded with iron Oh, how it burns Like cotton , sugar cane, tobacco, a commodity of sorts Cheap labor for capital Some occupy The wondrous innocence of a child The laughs The smiles Skim the cream Churn butter Was his job The conductor sings and rouse the enslaved, the enchained God has spoken Through , lightening, thunder , and rain The skies open And reach out to the weary of souls My Lord calls me The sweet chariot coming for to carry me home I ain’t got long to stay here Tell old pharaoh Let my people go... You can hinder me here , But you can’t up there... He sits in heaven and answers prayers For the old man is a-waiting for to carry you to freedom If you follow the drinking Gourd Marckincia Jean Free verse 09/22/19