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Uppity Darkie




Light minded people say I’m an uppity darkie
They color me bad, 
with a black face, felt pen Sharpie
Vanilla voices downright don’t like
the audio sounds of this mouthy darkie
They say I’m way too uppity,
don’t know what my proper place be
Snow cone hats say they gon have to teach me,
there's a painful cost for thinking free
They wanna call the fascist calvary and give me
some old-fashioned triple Kord rope justice,
by them good ole boys neo-Nazi vigilantes 
They say my strait Nazarene speech
borders on treason,
that it needs to be muzzled
But I’ve always given king Pharaoh Caesar
his required slave taxes — 
His printed paperweight metallic tribute ...
so what’s the dispute?
My Herodian enemies want so bad
to reach into their torture trick bag,
and gag my mouth with a gasoline soaked rag
Then lie in wait for my muffled words
to set that tri-colored cloth on fire
Red cheek coconut meat,
dressed in blue uniforms pressed neat,
wanna beat, kick, pound 
some patriotic sense into me
Giving thinly veiled warnings:
saying ship that ghetto talk back to Africa
Carting rice-colored evil thoughts
that are Balaam Iscariot store bought
Walking weeds in the Goshen grassroots,
wearing bloodstained slaughterhouse coats,
got indigo disdain for this uppity darkie
They wanna sell some 
strange rotting fruit hanging from a tree
Hating me because I stood up 
in the open free market place
And declared with Lion of Judah boldness,
they were selling the people rancid red meat lies 
wrapped in waxy white packages
And giving State-Don’t-Care samples away 
of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer bottles of hate
I ain’t nothing but a pseudo-smart, intellectual wannabe
It’s what my rabbit ears detractors say ... 
yeah, that’s how they regard me
As just another trouble making uppity darkie

Copyright © | Year Posted 2017




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Date: 10/4/2017 9:15:00 PM
Once again in the tradition of the Last Poets, you have triumphed. I love the repetition of the lines, uppity darkie. I know life must be tough up there and this expresses it well.
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Date: 9/27/2017 9:04:00 AM
Freddie, in this poem I sense a lot of pain. I went to school with different cultures, we had to learn to get along with each other.My best friend was black. People should learn to get along with each other,skin colour has nothing to do with it.Have a nice3 day my friend.
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Date: 9/27/2017 5:30:00 AM
Freddie, those first three lines are a great and powerful start of a fantastic poem. Although I am more mocha or olive, I know exactly what you talk about.
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Date: 9/26/2017 11:18:00 AM
Loved the frankness, with subtle humour, and biblical references that I fear will not be understood by the spiritually poor, however this is a powerful write, keep it up...uppity darkie...how cruel people can be.
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Date: 9/26/2017 2:32:00 AM
Good write Freddie. :)
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Date: 9/26/2017 12:47:00 AM
Thank you for reminding me that racism is still present. I have to work harder to root it out where I am. I become so angry and I must remember to change the world start where you are.
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Date: 9/25/2017 7:40:00 PM
Wow! You are a fantastic writer, my friend, spinning those words into a perfect poem that speaks volumes! Faving!
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Book: Reflection on the Important Things