Jesse Pickens Poet Free verse

Living In the Past

The Emancipation Proclamation was put 
into effect in 1863,
That meant freedom for slaves,
the ones who looked like me,
blood, sweat, and bullets were shed along 
with tears,
innocent civilians put through years of hell 
and fed with fears,
nooses invaded necks,
in the home of the brave,
in the home of the slaves,
blood flowing as they gaze,
lynchings were congregational,
often invitational,
white kids kids were taught to look at 
them as merely educational,
he is just another tally in the stat book,
slaves screaming until exhaustion as they 
were made to look,
saliva often found homes on the pits of 
our face,
jeopardizing our case, 
exasperating our race,
if you had children they often vanished 
without a trace,
we were taught not to embrace,
each other in any way,
I know the only way we made it out is the 
good Lord's grace..

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