A poem of the Black-American experience.
black.
cramped on ships
stung by whips
prayers pressed through lips
black.
never see home again
a new land filled with hateful men
your skin already condemned
black.
your body does not belong to you
forget everything you ever knew
all of the others are hurting too
black.
bodies for sale
are you strong or frail
they took all the healthy males
black.
english beaten into your mind
our bondage was designed
on our suffering, they dined
black.
daughters raped
can we escape
families forever reshaped
black.
one hundred years pass.
black.
another hundred years pass.
black.
another fifty years pass.
freedom!
no, bondage with conditions
slavery with additions
america and its traditions
black.
whites-only signs
bodies swing from trees like vines
no one will be charged with these crimes
black.
“chip on your shoulder”
we’re dragging around boulders
colonization is in the eye of the beholder
black.
bodies holding the pain of our foremothers
our ancestors reduced to nothing but numbers
it is the black condition to continuously suffer
black.
one hundred years pass.
Equality!
No, more racism and redlining
our people dying
the american dream is still lying
black.
today everything is still the same
the same parties shifting the blame
reparations are our to claim
black.
optimism is a luxury we can’t afford
how many deaths do we need to record
what are we moving towards
black.
we deserve the world and more
nothing else to be asked for
equality is not wanting for more
black.
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Solér Bean is a freelance writer and an always-exhausted college student. A Las Vegas native, she writes about politics, various social issues, race, relationships, dating, and mental health and has done so for the past five years. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
