Why We Cry

June 5, 2020 We cry for our ancestors who were lynched, burned and beaten We cry because the master’s scraps he throwed away was what they were eating We cry because our families were separated, never to see each other again. We cry because our pain and disappointments in American has no end. We cry because our forefathers were castrated and degraded by white men full of hate. We cry because we died for nothing, could not own property, plantations were our fate. We cry because our grandmothers worked until their bodies were broken. We cry because of all the words my mother held in and never spoken. We cry because our schools only showed us negative images of ourselves. We cry because those images made us fight with anger and placed peace on a shelf. We cry because our ancestors were slaves and had good reason to fear. We cry because of our mothers burying sons before their 25th year. We cry because we were told to ignore smile, everything is o.k. We cry because everything promised to us was just a delay We cry because we had hope in a better day. We cry because we could not believe in the words they had to say. We cry to God who is the only one who loved us and there to sustain. We cry because America is full of our blood and echoes our pain. We cry for a day when the dream will come alive. We cry for justice for all and with this society we would not collide. We cry that one day all will see us for who we are. We cry that you will not look at my black skin but look in our heats. We cry, we cry, we cry. This is why we cry.