slavery

by

basic neurology 101…

as i left
my office
the brown bag prophet
stopped me
and
said
it appears
the new hud secretary
has damage
to his
dorsolateral prefrontal lobe
cuz
the man
just referred
to slaves
as
immigrants
now
with
such logic
and
i
use that term
loosely
slave ships
were
merely
one star cruise liners
with
a bad chef
flogging
was
just
an
overzealous
tickle
branding the flesh
of
another human being
was
a sign
of
sincere
committment
to
the relationship
and
lynchings
were
an unappreciated
path
to heaven’s golden gates
where life
would be wonderful
hell
this man
is
a saint
well
you’ll
have to use
his logic
to understand
what
i
really mean

by

discovery…

discovery

for centuries
black
tortured hands
have dug
in life’s
obsidian
soil
souls
seeking
the sacred grave
where
liber lays
but
each tomb
opened
held
only
the ashes
of
other
ancestor’s
dreams
ancestors
who sought
manifest equality
but found
only
a mass grave
holding
the cinders
of
their
ancestor’s
dreams

by

the eyes of the master…

eyes of the master

slave’s eyeballs
plucked out
replaced
with
his master’s eyes
so
each time
he passes a mirror
he sees
a less
than human
worthless man
unable
to stand
alone
to speak
in tones
of freedom
or
walk upright
with pride
but rather
with a stride
as if
shackled
and
bearing
his master’s
weight

by

so others may dine with fine wine…

so others can dine with fine wine

aged hands
and
though
the shackles
have been
removed
slavery’s chains
of poverty
still remain
freedom
continues
to be offered
on
the installment plan
with
the occasional
one-night stand
with libertas
as
payment
for
services rendered
corporeal freedom
relegated
to words
of
hope
indicating
these things
take
time
but
what really
takes time
is
how long
it takes
pontius pilate societies
to
wash
the innocent blood
of the oppressed
from their hands