Poetry

By

Renee Drummond-Brown

 

 

Plight

 

 

You don’t get that right

To understand our plight

Were you there?

When that slave girl

Was ‘KILLED’

The very day,

They stole her away

 

Were you there?

When that slave girl

Was bound

Shackled and chained

Cow bells on the neck

That ‘rang’

 

Were you there?

When she rode that vast ocean

On Noah’s waves

Of never ending rains

 

Were you there?

At ‘HER’ door of ‘NO RETURN’

Uneducated to your customs and ways

‘Wit’ an unfair playing ground while trying to learn

 

Were you there?

Standing on ‘dat’ Auction Block

At 14 years of age

As she watched

‘Dat’ Auctioneer’s gavel drop!!!

SOLD: TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER!

He’d say

To her dismay

ALL WAS LOST

Down to her family;

Just given away

‘FREE’ of cost

 

Were you there?

As she picked a bail,

O’ COTTON

Were you there?

When sorting out the bushel’s

That rotted

Were you there as she picked

All through her midnight

Were you there?

When she couldn’t give ‘Massa’

Any fight

Were you there?

When she warmed ‘Massa’

Anytime ‘HE’ wanted both day and/or night

 

Were you there?

When she ‘HAD’ to cast ‘ALL’ her cares

On a ‘god’

That she was ‘TOLD’ didn’t care

 

Were you there?

As she entered those back doors

Were you there?

When she was called a wench and then some more…

 

Were you there?

When she was kicked to the ground

Like Christ,

Got back up

And never made a sound

 

Were you there?

When she had to eat slime and hogs

Were you there?

To watch her treated less than a dog

 

Were you there?

When mixed babies came from her

Were you there?

When she begged ‘Massa’ to keep ‘do’s’ chillins’ in ‘dat’ dear dirt

Plus for ‘da’ one’s not belonging to her

 

Were you there?

As she watched

So many ‘HUNG ON HIGH’

Were you there?

When she stood tall

At it all

Never allowing to cry

 

Were you there?

While she couldn’t tire, sleep nor snore

Were you there?

When she polished silverware

Plucked string beans

While

Cleaning on hands and knees

O’ those ‘HATED’ hardwood floors

 

Were you there?

When Missy lied on her

Were you there?

At her foul treatment

Far less than dirt

 

Were you there?

At her rape(s), beatings and cries

Were you there?

As she wondered

‘IF’

God even cared

Let alone was alive

 

Were you there?

When she prayed to just die

Were you there?

When she ate

Humility pie

 

Were you there?

At worship

While sitting in ‘dat’ balcony

Asking permission

To use ‘BLACK ONLY’ facilities

 

Were you there?

When ‘dat’ slave girl

Was KILLED

The day they stole her away

And

You have nerve to wonder why???

You don’t get that right

To understand

‘Our’ plight

I’ve been there

‘CAUSE’ SHE LIVES’

In ‘da’ ‘STEAL’ of my nights!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DNA of a SLAVE

 

 

WHO IS SHE?

I’ll introduce thee.

 

She comes out

When I hide my smile

Hand ‘ov’r’ mouth

Afraid to laugh

Afraid to cry

Afraid to shout

Not sure of self

 

 

She comes out

When she buries her son(s)

Both

Dead or alive

Stone cold heart

Conceals mistreatment

Without questioning

Thoughts, reasons or why???

 

She comes out

In the ‘BACK’ of a room

Or

‘Onna’

A bus

Without a peep

‘An’ leaves

‘For’

Anyone else

Can ‘SEE’

She was even

There

Way too soon

 

 

She comes out

As she writes

‘NEVER ALLOWING’

Those scribes

To fully take flight

Holding back words

In mid air

For ‘FEAR’

Of judgmental stares

And

Oppression glares

 

She comes out

Lowly like ‘HE’

So

Meek and mild

An instant woman

Who

Was ‘NEVER’ afforded

To be

Anyone’s child

 

 

She comes out

In hand me downs

So

Siblings,

Children

And

‘ALL’

Others around

Have ‘FIRST’

The best

Of

The

Best

She’s ‘ALWAYS’ last

But

‘NEVER’

Can she be first!

 

She comes out

Hurting inside

Being walked ‘ov’r’

Stabbed in ‘da’ back

By her own

But smiles

Through it all

Catching herself

At each and ev’ry

‘ONE’

Of ‘dem’

Falls

She comes out

MILD

She comes out

HURT

She comes out

‘Wit’

A SMILE

 

She comes out

In my

DNA

Your looking

At a slave.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last Night I Cried!

 

 

I cried for the babies

Which are born

I cried for the brokenness

Of family, foe and friends

Which are torn

I cried for the siblings

Trying to make it in

I cried for the children

And their generation

I cried for the homeless

And their friends

I cried for the wife

And her husband

I cried for the elderly

And their present condition

I cried for the teachers

And this so called education

I cried for the Preachers

And their salvation

I cried for the widows

And their humiliation

I cried for both saved and unsaved

Without hesitation

I cried for the President

And our Nation

I cried for foreign countries

And their kin

I cried for racism

And the very present discrimination

I cried for the apartheid

And the segregation

I cried for poverty

And the ghettoization

I cried for loneliness

And resentment

I cried for seclusion

And isolation

I cried for divorce

And the separation

I even cried for self

And my own

Unforgiving sins!

But

On today

For

‘EVERYONE’

I prayed

For a new start

With a brand new begin

But

Until hearts change

On tonight

I’ll start crying all over again

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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).