My Shadow

You ever open yo eyes
And seen the devils smile
Heard his deep growl
Or seen death call

I used to wake up
Cold sweat and all
I don’t say much
But I remember it all

Wild soul, but old at heart
The future me
Is all my past scars

Do I choose to engrave 
Do I choose to be slave
I choose everyday
To do it my way

Don’t ask me what I’m doin now
too proud to say that I ant moved at all
Runnin in place because I’m too involved 
In the fast pace consumed in foul
Distractions so I can’t see at all
Waste away if I don’t figure out
What’s in my way I knew it all along
No one to save me but i can do without

Same as my sisters and brothers 
As we age they take away from us
Who we became and we can’t say nothin

Who were we before 
The stories we had been told
As we grow
The less anyone knows
Where we came 
And where will we go
If the story’s the same
Why weren’t we told
Taught to be slaves
Even as we were told 
We could be free
But only after the toll

The toll was payed
The road was paved
Made our own
In the olden days
Nowadays
 youngins wanna behave
Like we still pickin cotton
Only thing changed is now we forgotten 
We don’t worry about it
We just do what they taught us

Is you from Africa or South America
Did you come on boat or was ya family hung
Up on rope 
gave us bible 
that gave us some hope 
But we were already spiritual

Copyright © Lauren Patton | Year Posted 2023

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