They Moved Spirits To Tears

 They Moved Spirits to Tears

 

 A White master confiscated everything; anything,

Took away their skin,

Flogged; burnt; and lynched them,

Took away the drum,

So that they don’t rhyme,

Took away the book,

So that they don’t read,

Took away the spices,

So that they had no condiments,

Took away the tenderloin,

So that they fed on braised offal and smoked hooves,

Took away the shoes,

So that they walked bear-foot,

But they improvised,

For they had their hearts,

The many roomed mansions,

They had their hands,

They could clap,

They had their mouths

They could plead their cases,

They had their minds,

They could create melodies,

They turned nothingness,

To somethingness,

With their music,

With their dancing,

They moved the spirits to tears,

They walked all over the heavens.

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