these signs of the times
I see everywhere I walk
I can’t understand
why I’m chased off of the block
why segregated we stand
inspired by Norman Rockwell's “The Problem We All Live With (Ruby Bridges)” 1964. symbolizing the struggle for civil rights and school desegregation in the United States
Separate
The
White
Jews
From
The
Black
Jews
And
Separate
The
White
Christians
From
The
Black
Christians
Segregated schools
Segregated hospitals
Segregated neighborhoods
Segregated employment
Segregated politics
Segregated life
Segregated churches
Wasn't going to sit in the back
because she was black no more
wanted to sit in the front
like whites and that's for sure
as being in the same row (forget 'Jim Crow')
in fact her constitutional right
made them equal but frowned upon
looked down on by the white
while heading home after school
Claudette Colvin (born 1939) was on her way
from segregated Booker T. Washington High
March 2nd 1955 an auspicious day
when by the Highland Gardens bus driver
Robert W. Cleere she was sorely tested
then by two policemen handcuffed
tho' no laws were broken she was arrested
but discriminated against
later by the N.A.A.C.P.
as unmarried and pregnant at fifteen in Alabama
their poster child she could not be
but it was the start of segregation's end
on the Montgomery bus 'cross town
by this brave outspoken student
who stood up for her rights by sitting down
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.
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
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!
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
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.
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.
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
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
"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"
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.