30 Seconds in a cage: Whitney Plantation

CATEGORY

life

At the Whitney Plantation with Johnny & Justin,
The tour guide was leading group a discussion,
Of the ways slaves spent their forlorn days,
She invited us to step into a cage,
Iron, rusty, hot, and confined,
Less than 30 seconds in, I nearly lost my mind,
When I lost sight of my brothers, it's was no longer pretend,
I saw a dozen white faces thru the cell bars and panic set in,
I lack the words to describe how it felt,
151 years ago, our cards were dealt,
In spades, men, women and children's lives reduced to economic trade,
Toiling to harvest sugar, tobacco, and cotton with no wage,
Even after freedom, sharecroppers couldn't believe them,
Same clothes, same laws, same work, same reason,
My great grandfather was born a slave yet he had hope,
I was born "free", but unfortunately I don't.