Crack of the whip, and we jump,
That leather snake cuts deep into our skin
Each scar a testimony to our suffering
My momma's been sold to another family now,
When we kiss goodbye , we both know it's the last time we will see each other. I watch her walk away until she becomes a dot...
I'm only 9, and afraid about what's to come.
I know it's bad, just what level of bad.....
My best friend is my owners daughter, Emily
We is like sisters, we play together every day,
But I can't eat with her, I eat in the barn with the animals-
"Where I belong"
Deep in my heart I feel a pain,
A sense of impending doom...
Next morning a stranger comes to the house
I'm pulled from my chores
Pushed onto a box to stand
like a steer at market he peruses me
The purchase is made
Emily is standing at the window her hand pressed hard against it
I break free and run to her
But our silent tears spill with resignation
Crack of the whip, and we jump.
dang...a hard bit of history that...ugh....slavery still exists as well in some areas...more subtle these days than the slave markets i think, but...you brought it to life and turned my gut a bit at the thought...well done...
ReplyDeleteThanks Brian. It's really the bones of a short story I'm writing about my names sake who was a slave in the South of US, then later freed. She was interviewed aged 100 about her life.
ReplyDeleteChilling experiences.
oh heck...so tough... hard to imagine that it was part of our history.. but sadly it was...well penned
ReplyDeleteI love the length of this line, as well as the way you say it:
ReplyDelete"When we kiss goodbye , we both know it's the last time we will see each other. I watch her walk away until she becomes a dot..."
Excellent topic.