Poetry

Bruce Davidson

 

By

Renee Drummond-Brown

 

 

No More Chains Holding Me

A secure spot

Where a slave ‘girlz’

Bound to be,

Metals ‘bout’

1 inch thick

AKA

ANCHOR RING

 

Lest we forget

‘Da’

ANKLE RACK

Wooden like

A set of stocks,

‘Wit’

Circular openings

In ‘da’

Bottom and top

Blocks,

Hinged at ‘da’ left,

Secured

Ev’r so VERY tight

Used to cut ‘dem’ feet off

To punish runaway’s

In ‘da’ ‘STEAL’

Of ‘dem’ nights!!!

‘Da’

Racks up,

Palms on ‘da’ ground,

Hoofs axed off

No more Northern bound.

 

Around ‘da’ waist

Of

‘Doe’s’

Big boned hips,

Pad locked

BELLY CHAINS

Ham hocks,

Cornbread,

And

‘Dem’ greens

‘Da blame for ‘dis’,

‘Deeze’ very chains

Unto ‘dis’ day

STILL

‘Holdin’ me

Ridiculously insane!

 

How could ‘ONE’ forget.

‘Da’

BINDING FIBER

Two shall become one

Strip,

O’ leather

On ‘da’ ground

Face down

Wrapped ‘round’ 3 times

As in a leash

Or a whip

As known as

‘Da’ Slave ‘girlz’ equipment!!!

 

Hide and seek

YOU’RE IT!!!

‘Da’

BLIND FOLD’s

Ready

Now don’t you take a peek

Two rounded pieces of felt

Folded cloth

Or

Scarf

‘Jus’ keep

‘Dem’ lips exposed

Slave ‘girlz’

WATCH IT NOW

Last man out

You ‘otta’ know

YOU’RE ‘DA’ ONLY PREY AND THE “SWEET THANG” CAUGHT!

 

Shoop ‘de’ shoop

Hula hoop,

BODY CHAIN

Five feet long

Loop ‘bout’ ‘da’ neck

And

Throat

You bet,

Security is key

Decorated

‘Wit’

Wooden beads

And O’

‘Dem’

Semiprecious stones

Attached to ‘da’ chains

Leather

In all

Shoop ‘de’ shoop

‘Dats’ why’ze

Us

‘Colour’ ‘girlz’

Can shake our ‘thangs’ and hula hoop

 

Shoop ‘de’ shoop

Shoop ‘de’ shoop

Shoop ‘de’ shoop

Shoop ‘de’ shoop

Shoop ‘de’ shoop

Shoop ‘de’ shoop

Shoop ‘de’ shoop

 

 

No More Chains Holding Me

‘Cuz’

‘Imma’ shake my ‘thang’ and hula hoop

Till ‘I’z’ free

Shoop ‘de’ shoop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CURSED

400 years

We’ve roamed ‘dis’ earth

Wondering aimlessly

To and fro

Which way is up?

Down?

Where to next?

Which way do we go?

 

We’ve lived in ‘da’ Garden

Steal, killed and lied

Wrecked it.

And ‘da’ nerve of Archaeologist

To wonder

What happened to ‘OUR’ EDEN?

Who, what where when,

And

Why?

 

We’ve killed our brother(s)

Remember Adam?

Crossed ‘da’ Red Seas

Survived ‘da’ winds and rains

As

Walking blind-men

Unable to ‘SEE’

Even

Been in ‘da’ storms

‘Wit’ Him

In Galilee

 

We’ve fought

‘Da’ Battle of Jericho,

And seen HIS great flood

Come and go

We destroyed ‘dat’ Ark

For certain,

THIS…

I do know.

All ‘dats’ ‘leff’

I’z

‘De’ illusion of a Rainbow

But…

All in all

We’re still in a mess!!!

 

We’ve tasted milk and honey

And (ev’n)

WATCHED our BOY babies (2 and under)

Get

SLAUGHTERED

In ‘dem’ streets

While

Surviving ‘dis’ earth on Pharaohs system

‘Wit’ absolutely no welfare,

Worth,

Nor money

Only defeat after defeat after defeat.

 

Our families are torn apart

Mother against daughter,

Father against his son

But…We’ze ‘claims’

To ‘LUVS’ this God

‘Wit’ absolutely

No ‘Respeck’

Of person(s)

Self

Nor

Of

His Only Begotten Son!

 

We have no surname

No identity

Nor purpose

And absolutely

No claim to anyone else’s fame!

 

‘Deeze’ chillins are foreign to He

‘Cuz’

We laugh at birth

Cry at death

We plant

When we should pluck

We dance

When we should stand

We embrace

When we should refrain

We kill

When we should heal

We break-down

When we should build

WE KEEP SILENT

When we should speak

WE’RE OFF SEASON

For HIS love, hate, war and peace

What time is it?

We seem to forget???

As Scripture reveals

We do what we feel

The total opposite!

 

We’ve spared ‘da’ rod

Reading ‘dem’ books

Listening to people ‘wit’ NO KIDS AT ALL

And ‘den’

‘Da’ nerve to wonder

Who, where, when, why???

What went wrong?

When ‘ALL’ we had to do

Was take Him at His word

And follow ‘dat’ Ol’ African proverb.

 

We’ve traveled ‘dat’ Underground Railroad

In ‘da’ Red Sea

Moses carried us to Milk and honey

But Tubman

O’

She killed ‘doze’ who didn’t ‘wanna’ flee!

All in all

He saved a wretch like me

But

Oh No

Not she!!!

 

‘Da’

 Civil Rights Movement

‘Den’ comes along

‘Sangin’

A different tune

To our quandary song

Lynching

Bombs

Water-hose

And

O’

‘DEM’

Dogs

Beatings

Killing

Executions

Assassinations

And ‘dem’

Murdering Mobs.

Oppressors’

Where’s ‘ya’ at?

‘Sum’ of us survived

All ‘dem’ attacks!

 

YOU REMEMBER

4 ‘Lil’ ‘girlz’ ‘dun’ wronged????

O’

‘Dat’ Bomb!!!!

‘Den’

‘Daze’ kill our King(S)

And

Rodney ask

“Can’t we all just get along?”

‘Nevatheless’

‘Dem’ Freedom Singers

Sang on

THANKS MS. RUTHA MAE HARRIS

For that Angelic gift within your vocals

And O’ my Lord,

‘Dem’ MOTIVATIONAL songs

Sung

For ‘ALL’ wrong

So we march on

And

On

And

On

And

On…

 

‘Den’

‘We’ze’

Flipped ‘OUR’ Script(ure)

And start ‘killin’

Our own

‘Lil’ ‘chillins’

At sure bliss

For this I know

I know this.

‘Dem’ ‘Mommas’ lost hope

Black on black crimes

‘Inna’ all time high

Monkey’s on ‘OUR’ Back

Dope

Took us for broke

And ‘CAIN’ took us for a ride

MARKED

Ov’r

And

Ov’r

WHY?

WHY?

O’

WHY?

 

We hate our families

And

Fight within

We love our enemies

Whose BLOODS NO kin

‘Our ‘HIStory’ ‘iz’ ever so present

We’re walking dead-men

Lost for POETIC words

‘CAUSE’

We were ‘NEVER’ a slave

But rather

The result of HIS curse

Read your Script(ure)

For CERTAIN

This I do know.

I KNOW THIS CURSE,

Leviticus

Twenty-six.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Renee Drummond Brown

I was born in North Carolina, at Camp Lejeune US Naval Hospital and am a graduate of Geneva College of Pennsylvania. My love for creative writing is undoubtedly displayed through my very unique style of poetry. My poetry is inspired by God and Dr. Maya Angelou. Because of them I pledge this: “Still I write, I write, and I’ll write!” “Renee’s Poems with Wings are Words in Flight” is flown across the seas by God’s raven. There are several Scriptures that I love; however, this one speaks volumes during this ‘season’: “And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.” (Genesis 8:7 KJV).