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..
Copyright © Jesse Pickens | Year Posted 2014
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