I do not entirely agree
with the actions of my ancestors
cannot say with a straight face that I would have stood there
In the crossfire of oppression, falling
while being bit by dogs
smiling
while being spit on
not with a straight face will I say
that I would have been there
to ask my oppressors their permission
to walk down the street
but I was not there
and me not being there leads me to do nothing
but honor their legacy in humility
I do not know the taste of their humiliation
as closely as they experienced it
my young palate is a prejudiced mixture
of what I’ve seen in footage and read in books
I did not feel the lash
or salt in-between their wounds
know nothing of the seasoning
of stripped identity
of throats closing in on tongues
I know only of gentle waters
the kind that bathes, and cooks and quenches the thirst
I know nothing of the kind that pierces
the skin on contact
I do not know because I was not there
but I can write
like Baldwin did
as a witness
I can write the stories
and un-fairy tale the tragedy
of being colored
to make alive again
a history left virtually unknown
because I was not there
not when Moses died or Malcolm slain
but I can write
articulating the suffering
of the now silent
Copyright©2017 by Yecheilyah Ysrayl. All rights reserved.
Yecheilyah (e-see-lee-yah) is an Author, Blogger, and Poet of nine published works including her soon-to-be released short inspirational guide “Keep Yourself Full.” Learn more by exploring Yecheilyah’s writing on this blog and her website at yecheilyahysrayl.com. Renaissance: The Nora White Story (Book One) is her latest novel and is available now on Amazon.com.
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Thank you for sharing.
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Love this! Fire!!
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Thank you 🙂
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Is this published in one of your books?
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Umm, no, actually. I just wrote it like 20 minutes ago lol. I was re-reading I am Not Your Negro by James Baldwin and this line struck me and is thus the inspiration behind this poem: “but I had to accept, as time wore on, that part of my responsibility –as a witness–was to move as largely and as freely as possible, to write the story and to get it out.”
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Powerful…. My it make its way into a future published work!
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Thank you. I am thinking of publishing a short chapbook of the poems on this blog that center around Black History. No big launch or anything. Just a little something. We’ll see 🙂
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That would be AWESOME! Would love to feature something on my blog if you do. Keep me posted.
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Will do.
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Strong. I agree this should feature in a volume.
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Than you Roger 🙂
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You are truly welcome. Keep on with your worthy and strong work.
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Reblogged this on Dream Big, Dream Often.
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