Freddie Robinson Jr. Poet Epic

Voyage of the Damned

They were as Jonah was,
cast down into the belly of the whale
They were soon to experience
every unimaginable horror on this ship of hell

On the voyage of the damned,
     you hear the cries of the condemned
Be prepared to die as well,
     unless God chooses to intervene

A lot of souls won't make it
on the food they were given to eat
Rancid water, spoiled bread
and maggot infested meat

That rank disgusting swill,
you wouldn't even give to a dog
It had the most foul stench ever,
as if dredged from the filthiest bog

On the voyage of the damned,
     you hear the cries of the condemned
Be prepared to die as well,
     unless the captain wants to hear you sing

You got whipped for moaning too loud,
'cause you're hurting from being whipped before
You got beaten longer than the last time,
as someone you knew was getting beat even more

The drunken prince and the devout priest
are both chained and bound together
The greatest as well as the least
are each tossed off during stormy weather

On the voyage of the damned,
     you hear the cries of the condemned
Be prepared to die as well,
     unless the cook becomes your friend

Tortured wails in the night
prevent you from getting much sleep
You can't afford to get too sick
from the rough waves of the deep

Or you'll get pitched overboard
to the insatiable trailing fins
Don't be the last to follow orders,
or you'll be the next one thrown in

On the voyage of the damned,
     you hear the cries of the condemned
Be prepared to die as well,
     unless your body can satisfy ten men

You're surrounded by diseased walls
and an unbreakable trap door
Your clothes reek of a piss odor
from laying on the excrement covered floor

Each day you desire death
within this cruel house of motion
Each night you always pray
this death ship sinks in the ocean

On the voyage of the damned,
     you hear the cries of the condemned
But if that ship of woe reaches land,
     a new and different kind of hell is awaiting

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Ronald A. Williams November 20, 2017 at 7:40 PM Very nice write, Epic and Narrative. There should be a note for combined forms as some of my Poems work out to be that way as well. Keep on, Keeping on.

Pandita Sietesantos June 14, 2017 at 3:44 PM Freddie, this is a most amazing write about the horror of the slave trade and man's inhumanity to man. You captured the essence of hell on earth as experienced by those held in captivity and treated like beasts. While many people rightfully deplore the horror of the Holocaust, unfortunately many are still in denial of the magnitude of the horror of slavery. Bravo, my friend! Love and best wishes. Pandita

Jeremiah Brown February 24, 2017 at 10:37 AM Hello, my name is Jeremiah Brown and I am a member of the National Speech and Debate Association. I was truly inspsired after reading your poem "Voyage of the Damned" and I would like to take it to the National Forensics Tournament. In order to do so, I must have your official approval. If you don't mind giving me the rights to perform it, please contact me at [email protected] or [email protected] Thank you!

Roy Merritt January 19, 2017 at 10:17 PM Another powerful poem my friend detailing the disgraceful slave trade enroute no doubt for the middle passage. How ironic those ships set sail in the Atlantic area off the western coast of Africa know simply as the doldrums. Such misery and pain began there and as well the many horrific hurricanes that have lashed American shores over the centuries. I would suggest that a hurricane is a proper metaphor for the movement of slaves both promising naught but grief upon arrival here.

Cheryl Hoffman October 10, 2016 at 10:42 PM Enjoyed reading your heavy write Freddie!:) (I don't know whats worse, being on this ship or the Titanic, lol!) Freddie Robinson Jr. October 11, 2016 at 10:30 AM Ty, Cheryl. It was just something I had to write about. A personal purging of hate. As a Christian, I can't abide w/having hate in my heart. Although the write was heavy, you're not heavy, you're my sister. And I love you always.

White Wolf October 10, 2016 at 6:34 PM Whenever I read of the ocean in a poem I always think of the subconscious, and the ship just staying above it, but this was far different indeed, and not a place I wish to be, Haha... You are a good writer Freddie, /|\ Freddie Robinson Jr. October 11, 2016 at 10:27 AM Appreciate that coming from you, Rick. Ditto the comment I wrote to San. Just keeping it real. That was our Holocaust. Tragic but true. Ty for the support. Love you, bruh.