When I Was Born In '45

When I Was Born in '45 By Franklin Price 08/08/202 When I was born in '45, was another time and place Merritt Island, I called home, we had not gone to space Segregation was the way, we lived back in the day From then until the 60's, in the south, no other way. Black was black and white was white, did not have a common tether Lived in different neighborhoods, went to different schools together The colored , as we knew them, lived up in colored town, Picked the oranges, dug the ditches, that thought now, brings on a frown Their town was north of where we lived, just a holler and a shout My father knew a lot of things, would go to help them out Electrician was his job back then, worked at the Naval base He helped everyone he could, did not matter what their race He took me along sometimes, to help was the disguise He let me see how others lived, and opened up my eyes They did not live much different, than the way we lived back then That we practiced segregation was the separating sin Blacks and whites had their own schools, we ate at different places. Bathrooms and water fountains labeled for the different races. When we went to the movies, no matter what there was to see The blacks went up the stairs outside, to the back of the balcony All the way through lower grades and on to Cocoa high I never went to school with blacks, and seldom wondered why That was just the way it was back then, each race had its place Per the Constitution equal, but not if black was on your face We didn't have much money, and to have little more, I went to work, when I was fourteen, at the five and ten cents store. Cleaned the counters, washed the dishes, mopped the floors, when I was done Got paid on every Friday, earning for myself was fun. There were no blacks, that I remember, that were working on the floor Or in the shopping center, at any other kind of store. Don't know if they were sent away, due to the color of their skin Or whether they did not apply, 'cause they were never getting in In the Summers, while in High School, I did construction work My brother was the boss man, he let me do it as a perk Had no special skills to do it, only supply the simple labors Was the only white faced laborer, black faces were my neighbors This was my very first time, to be working as a black They took me underneath their arms, I knew they had my back Taught me how to work just right, to make it through the day Without exception, were my friends, who helped me earn my pay I graduated high school, in 1964, College not the thing for me, so I went off to war Joined the U.S. Air Force to grow and get away To find what life was all about, not sit around and play. Finished basic training, then a year or so in school I did well in all of that, I was not raised a fool A year or so was stateside, then a year in Vietnam Different colors, were all brothers, in support of Uncle Sam I'm not saying some weren't racist, but it wasn't hard and fast We were sent there all together, if colors fought, we would not last We had a common enemy, the north, and Vietcong To fight ourselves, because of color, was a lot more, than just wrong While lines of color blended in that land across the sea MLK and many others demonstrated to be free Although we fought a civil war, and Lincoln freed the slaves, Blacks were not yet white man's equals, from their birthings to their graves The sixties opened many eyes, also opened up the door Gave blacks ins to education, to rise up from being poor Set quotas for employment, for the equal qualified For a chance to grab the golden ring, from life's rotating ride Marches made throughout the south and a few up in the north Over the years, and up 'til now, still going back and forth Should be about equality, not who's wielding all the power When We the People, make it happen, it will be our finest hour When privilege has no color, and effort opens up the door And excellence is something that we all are striving for Until all of this is recognized and given what its due We still will have what we have now. There will be nothing new.