Lamont Steptoe

AT THE SHORE

At the Shore

Shackled and chained

Hobbled in Iron

Many of the African captives

Grabbed fistfuls of earth

For the last time

Filled their mouths with Mother Africa

They swallowed their culture

Filling their bellies with Black Power

Before sailing into the unknown

The sun was a bloody mucus

That sizzled as it slipped beneath the horizon

They ate the continent they were leaving

An unusual kind of grieving

This was the last meal of the condemned

The stink and confinement of a ships hole

Awaited them

The rage of whips and curses and rape

The cruel jaws of sharks

The deep dungeon of unmerciful salt water

Stood as their future

The journey they faced

Left them zombies if they survived

Death was a blessing

At the shore

They swallowed their land

Like a communion wafer

Of a religion the other side of nightmare

(Originally posted July 24, 2008)

To contact Lamont Steptoe send an email to: maybellesboy@yahoo.com