Slave Virtues

They were hated, berated, and degraded They were demoted, denied, and deprived They were traded like livestock and treated worst than animals They were a people detained, renamed, and reduced to property They were displaced, disgraced, disrespected, and disenfranchised They were captured, chained, and maimed; battered, beaten, and bruised If we were one of them, how would we feel? How would we deal? How would we heal? How would we then live? I am saddened by their slavery, but I am inspired by their bravery. When I pause, I discover the magic of a mystery. I clearly see virtues hidden in their tragic history. I am touched when I sense a 'virtue in their vision'. They knew that, even if erased without a trace, they had a past. They experienced sorrow but managed the madness of their present. Me think that their "Tomorrow in the distance" launched their untouchable souls. Though bowed and broken, they visualized tomorrow and paid the painful toll. Me think that they saw a vision of me in the distant future living happy and free. Me think that they decried the mirrors that painted their darkened spirit and defied the demons of misery. How else could they have survived their dehumanized plight and thrived as enslaved human beings? Written061807; Condensed and posted to PS 02262018 Black History Month 2018