Poem of the day: Long EnoughA poem a day keeps the soul awake! For the most soulful, authentically African poetry on the internet, check out Poem of the day.
by Arnold Charles
10-06-2023 08:55
in Art and Artists
Poem of the day brings you some of the best pieces of writing South Africa has to offer. Photo: Pexels
Long Enough I've been black long enough. Long enough to know about the middle passage Men, women, children, regardless of age Stuffed in a ship, like animals in a cage Long enough to know about slavery And the white man's feeling of mastery Causing human beings a lifetime of misery Long enough to know about Jim Crow The unjust laws, instituted, blow after blow Crushing the spirit of those they refused to know Long enough to know about lynchings The strange fruit' hanging from trees After enduring a myriad of indignities I've been black long enough. Long enough to see separate but un'equal classrooms Schools with computers, others with, maybe, brooms Leading inevitably to unequal boardrooms Long enough to see the Civil Rights movement Its effect on America barely a dent Many courageous freedom fighters came and went Long enough to see housing inequality Driving past neighborhoods with no diversity Wondering will we ever have inclusivity Long enough to see the police forget Those they are sworn to serve and protect Instead they put a knee on their neck I've been black long enough Long enough to experience racial discrimination I have felt it on more than one occasion One time as a child on a family vacation I was ten when I jumped into the motel pool The white folks scattered; (was I made of stool?) And glared at me as if I was the fool Or when our family moved into a neighborhood Only to watch signs pop up on placard and wood For Sale' signs to get the hell out of the hood The confederate flag flew at my oldest son's school So what are concerned parents to do? We dialogued a resolution until all parties were cool I've been black long enough. Hopeful or hopeless? Probably more of the latter POTUS can't even say the words Black Lives Matter' To some I may sound like a man full of blather I'm not, it's just that I've been black long enough To know that enough is enough. By Curtiss L. Hayes Recent Poem of the Day Posts
Help Me
No One Knows Me
A Slow Creep
Sundays Come and Sundays Go
The True Meaning Of Life
Sometimes I Dream That I Can Fly
Good Deeds
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Poem of the day: Long EnoughA poem a day keeps the soul awake! For the most soulful, authentically African poetry on the internet, check out Poem of the day.
