Best Segregation Poems
"our budget allows for
one janitor, and that spot
is taken,"
is what he said
before he took one
look at my credentials
"sir, I come to ask
about the teller job,"
I says and he just
leaves
turns around to say
"come back in 25 years"
We where all humans until
Race disconnected us
Colour differentiated us
Love blindfolded us
Money controlled us
Wealth classified us
We where all humans until
Politics divided us
Hatred filled us
Religion separated us
Tradition left us
Technology inclined us
Pride came to us
Ruby
Ruby Bridges was one of the first Black American pupils
in a 'White' school
after racial segregation was declared unconstitutional.
It was November 14th, 1960 when six year old Ruby sat in school alone,
children and teachers stayed at home.
RUBY......
'My Mother took special care getting me dressed that day,
new White shoes, stiffly starched White dress
and a White ribbon in my hair'
She told me:
'there may be a lot of people outside school today,
but there's no need to be afraid,
i'll be with you all the way'.
Four federal US Marshal's came to the door to drive us to school.
As we got in the car my Mother said:
'Ruby, I want you to behave yourself today and do what the Marshals say'.
As the Marshals extracted me from the Cavalcade
a jangle of jeering shrieks rose from the barricade:
2-4-6-8 we don't want to integrate, sang the protestors
I didn't know what these words meant
After school, I taught a friend this chant
I guess when I heard the tirade
that we had stumbled on the Mardi Gras parade
THEN.....
The Whites of my eyes shone
like those of a frightened Fawn
as a protester held a coffin carrying a little Black doll.
ON LOOKER:
As the sun burns away haze from the Mississippi River
large crowds began to gather.
White Women in Toreador pants
shouting hateful chants
at the small Black girl in a starched White dress
gripping her Mothers hand
Surrounded by racial turmoil
yet courageous and standing tall
Ruby is an inspiration to us all.
In 1964 the Beatles toured the USA
And they stood against the Segregation way
John said they would rather lose the cost
Than take the stage with a segregated crowd as it was a loss
Even in these modern days where this stance
Makes you hip in your current civil rights dance
They stood tall and did not fall
And know it at that time a courageous call.
© Paul Warren Poetry
Dull shackles
An accessory to a crime
Worn out from repeated abuse
Of oppression for profit, for personal gain
The cracking of a whip
A contributor to paralysis
The inability to move
Petrified by the sight and sound
In chains, continuing to till the ground
After a thousand lashes
Many of us will have chosen
To become obedient
Begging and pleading
Or left to die bleeding
Next of kin
Release the pin
As I melt into the floor
Unconsciously aware of time
A common courtesy
Segregation for two kinds of people
Simply put, me and you
Separated by pigment, but bound by race
I ask for forgiveness for all of this hate
Sky looks beautiful with clouds
azure skyscape impressive though,
starlit sky illumines forests of night.
Short or long, verdant shade soothes
a tree, single or in clusters pleases.
A spring or meandering stream
carries trillions of pooled droplets
yet, a drop of water slakes thirst.
Flowing water-ways jubilantly join
emerge finally as a mighty river.
Uncles, aunts, grandparents cared
children loved lullabies, stories told
enjoying every moment of the phase.
Parents happily shared and cared for all
a family stood firm as a vast empire.
A radiant planet may mesmerize
yet, constellations overwhelm all,
galaxies tantalize faraway humanity.
Segregation slices, roam rootless
self-centered folks rudderless!
The bus is full
except for a seat at the back
designated for minority dissenters,
free thinkers and libertarians.
A youth demands my seat,
I stare straight ahead.
The bus grinds through its gears
as passengers glare or sneer.
too black for the white kids
but their parents say
i'm too white for the blacks
it's sad and dividing
like they're making us walk
on opposite side of train tracks
they talk about no racism no more
i think it's all talk and lies
they don't talk about invasions on shore
and killing the black man where he lies
how do you steal babies from parents
and think that's okay?
how do you rape and enslave women
the brutality began
in botany bay
Every generation goes through a new type of segregation. Different problems but the same level of responsibility never taken; At least not from the ones who are supposed to claim it. The ones in charge have the power to change things, they have it all but take advantage of the people who work hard to get what they cannot keep. Our pockets are wiped clean, our purity turns to darkness and our hearts harden; its the only way to survive what we deal with in our streets. You may think you run your life, but in reality we're all puppets, controlled by someone from behind the scenes. Its the ugly truth so many choose to act blind then see. But we're not blind, all we have to do is open our eyes. We're apart of the problem and its time we stop assisting in the mass genocide. Lets make a plan for all our sakes; we are the 99% which means the odds are in our favour. The 1% cannot take us, its times we show them the monsters they've created. The damage to us is already done, but we can pave a path much better for the generation's to come. Allow our children to be proud of the people they become, give to them what was not given to us. Many regrets but this will not be one.
You smell like sweet roses,
But I've smelled the sweat of the weak.
My sight is as keen as an eagle's eyes;
I see the chains, rusted from years of injustice, binding the meek.
Segregation tried to tear us apart;
Tried to break our spirits, but we stood unbroken.
Like Carlotta Walls, I keep my head held high,
Disregarding the lies.
Even when the ground is unstable,
I feel the weight of all the cries,
But still, my will is unshakable.
Racism tried to steal our pride;
It tried to silence our voices,
But the roar in my protests shakes the sky.
Is it pain that makes you shy?
We taste the bitter ash of sorrow,
Long, hard fights.
I hear the whispers of a dream—
Thunder-loud, like the King's words shaking the nights.
The statues speak, but they are silent.
They don’t tell the battles we’ve fought,
The struggles we’ve survived.
Segregation tried to tear us apart;
It tried to divide us, but we remain unbroken.
Yet here we are, stronger than before.
Like the Proclamation’s call, we break the chains;
The day will rise — not just with light, but with our truth.
'Just get over it'
No we still haven't received reparations
And they are long overdue
Why would we get over it
When you prance around wearing bags made of our skin
Sitting your privileged self's on chairs oh so familiar
The fabric - our skin
But you'll never know
You'll never care
Because of your ignorance
Because what you don't know won't hurt you
But a little secret, I promise you it hurt us
Can't you hear the echoes of our ancestors
Or is your inability to basic human emotions
Cause you to go deaf in both of your ears
'Just get over it'
No how about you don't deny our history's existence
How about you stop going on the defence
Everytime you hear about the black experience
Why would we get over it
When it slaps us in the face
Every single day
Through the blood stained pavements
From segregation to alienation
Through the changing of weapons
Long gone are the harsh echoes of the whips
Is now the sharp bang of a gunshot
Going from personal torture
To cowardly killings
'Just get over it'
How can we
When everyday we carry the scars of our ancestors
And you carry the evil spirit of your ancestors
How are we supposed to walk the streets
Where public lynchings was free entertainment
Because no matter how hard you try to erase
The echoes of violence still linger
And the weight of generational trauma clings to a world we built
'Just get over it'
You may have drowned our cities
And set fire to our towns
But one thing remains known
Is how you'll never silence our screams
How can we get over it
When the rope Hangs from the trees
When segregation is over yet the ice in your eyes make known we are unwelcome
How sundown towns still exist with the same outcome
Where every ship is haunted by the fear
Our people faced
Drowning in the eerie thoughts of what's to come
When black history month
Reminds that nothing has really changed
The only difference is the rules of game they made
And the changing of the games name
You claim we are stuck in the past
But we are still living in it
How can we forget
When there's constant reminders
Hiding in every corner
Where every shadow leads to another piece of trauma
That reminds black is not just a colour