Lamentations of an ex-slave
by Shelika Browne 14.JUN.11
Captured and taken
From our native lands,
Dragged for miles,
Beaten and tortured.
With yokes around our necks
We had no chance of escaping,
Forced unto merchant ships,
Taken to strange lands,
Sold into slavery.{{more}}
Little food to eat,
Just enough to keep us alive,
So inhumanely treated,
Some of us starved to death,
Others committed suicide.
Some got sick and died,
Their bodies thrown overboard.
Packed closely together
Constantly plagued by diseases
Danger, hunger and death.
The rattling of chains
And the smacking of whips,
Were all that could be heard
From below deck,
Along with the beggared moans,
Groans and cries of our people,
As their spirit of hope faded.
Shipped for miles across the Atlantic
From periods of up to two months,
Under such deplorable conditions
Only few survived the voyage.
The only value placed on our lives
Was that we arrived safely,
To be sold to planters and merchants,
Traded in exchange for goods,
Liquor, cloth and guns.
Treated like dogs,
Having masters,
We were beaten with whips
And locked in chains,
Put to clean houses, sew clothes,
Plant crops, plow dirt and pick cotton.
Toiling on the plantations
Day after day,
Given little food to eat
Forced to work without pay.
Songs of freedom were all we had,
Singing to find peace in our weary hearts.
As our hardships multiplied
Death seemed to be
The only permanent relief,
As pain and suffering marked our days
We longed to be free.
Not even allowed to wear certain clothes
Or be educated,
Not allowed the basic human rights
Or privileges.
Robbed of our right to dream
And deprived of our freedom,
Toiling through the pouring rain
Or the boiling sun.
Bearing scars on our backs
From the smacking of whips,
Sweat upon our brows
Cracks on our lips,
Dirt on our hands,
The tears in our eyes,
The sorrow in our hearts
We carried all the time.
All these things bear proof
Of our struggle for generations,
As we strive to rise above
Racism and oppression,
Turning scars into trophies
In remembrance of our pain,
But they endured it
So that their children wouldnât have to today.
Emancipation did come
And slavery was abolished.
An African American is now
The President of the United States.
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