Poetic Verses
That Slave Hut
There was a moment so powerful, not to forgot
That day I stood within the walls of that slave hut
Something happened and there was a sort of transposition
Back in time the moment and the reality of the situation.
There I was running around with the other boys
Not having the luxury of having my favorite toys
Being grouped and place in one of those gangs
Designated the chores; of clearing the grass, off the lands
Barely clad, toiling all day in the broiling sun
Dragging all those loads of heavy stones around
As we watched the master and family proudly parade
As they rode on horse backs, shielded by another slave.
At night it was pain to see my father's skin
All swollen from that brutal beating he was given
Feeling too, insulted as my came home, bringing
Scrap of food not fit for a dog, from the master's kitchen
Growing up and approaching adolescence, was not a happy occasion
This was such a moment of pain, due to that separation
As the master saw fit, and without a moment's hesitation
Would sell my brothers; off to different plantations.
A marriage then too was such a very happy time
But the master too though for himself too the moment was prime
To come and take the bride from the presence of her husband
To go off and have his fun, promotion a form of miscegenation
Reflecting on all those moments and those atrocities
Would stir up such ill sentiments, and hence enmities
But as your wall stubbornly survive all those years of weathering
This to be mind induces such a sense of healing.
As I wiped a tear from my eye, feeling lighter and happier
Reality returned as I felt a tap on my shoulder
Then the gentlemen greeting with this message
That the slave hut was designated a “National Heritage.”
That day I stood within the walls of that slave hut
Something happened and there was a sort of transposition
Back in time the moment and the reality of the situation.
There I was running around with the other boys
Not having the luxury of having my favorite toys
Being grouped and place in one of those gangs
Designated the chores; of clearing the grass, off the lands
Barely clad, toiling all day in the broiling sun
Dragging all those loads of heavy stones around
As we watched the master and family proudly parade
As they rode on horse backs, shielded by another slave.
At night it was pain to see my father's skin
All swollen from that brutal beating he was given
Feeling too, insulted as my came home, bringing
Scrap of food not fit for a dog, from the master's kitchen
Growing up and approaching adolescence, was not a happy occasion
This was such a moment of pain, due to that separation
As the master saw fit, and without a moment's hesitation
Would sell my brothers; off to different plantations.
A marriage then too was such a very happy time
But the master too though for himself too the moment was prime
To come and take the bride from the presence of her husband
To go off and have his fun, promotion a form of miscegenation
Reflecting on all those moments and those atrocities
Would stir up such ill sentiments, and hence enmities
But as your wall stubbornly survive all those years of weathering
This to be mind induces such a sense of healing.
As I wiped a tear from my eye, feeling lighter and happier
Reality returned as I felt a tap on my shoulder
Then the gentlemen greeting with this message
That the slave hut was designated a “National Heritage.”