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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: Shattered Sighs