The Remission.

Un-hide our past―
       & let the world see the pain caused for so many years;
Un-cover our ancestor's anguish    
       & take a walk down their trail of tears;

Un-hinder our power―
       & erase the need to fight for civil rights;
Un-darken our political strength―
       & honor our leaders who stood for what was right;

Un-conceal our heroes―
       & place them back into the history books;
Un-claim our historic figures―
       & give us back credit for the people you took

Then claimed as your own…

       Like Cleopatra & other heirs of the throne.
       Let the world see how great we are,
     was & will always be;

    & stop telling a story that’s incomplete―
     for we won't stop fighting until we can feel,
      that the perception of our past is accurate & real.

       Point taken?       Lest we forget― Lest we forget!

Un-discourage our fathers
       Un-break apart our race;
Un-exclude our achievers

       Un-distort the look of our face;
Un-deny us the right to vote
       Un-create negative connotations for "black;"

Un-illiterate our inner cities
       Un-slash scars across our grandfathers backs;
Un-enslave millions of our natives

       Un-whip all the wounds that we caught;
Un-auction off our forefathers
       Un-educate your children superiority thoughts;

Un-ship us across from the motherland
       Un-kill off millions of our brothers;
Un-separate our people's youth

       Un-rape everyone of the king’s mothers;
Un-twist the story about our past
       Un-instill the anger & resentment we know;

Un-due all the things we would've never done
& maybe you’ll see the pain go.

Mark Anthony Thomas
Copyright © 2004

>> back to Poetry