86400
it never happened
it was a all a dream
a dream we still dream
although we are today
“woke”
they call us
then
it was just
words on a page saying they we were free
June of 1865
was just another day in the hot
sweltering cotton field
still punished and/or rewarded for their daily yield
escape
how many of them tried?
how many of them died?
between the time Masssa Lincoln signed the proclamation
and the two years when they finally heard the declaration
the second coming of independence
and it all was supposed to make sense
then
now
I do declare and do agree
for those who lived in slavery in both
1865 and 1863
Juneteenth
was not the end of slavery
Buck And The Preacher
art imitating life of the day
those who thought they were free
back roads and highways heading west
slave capturers murdered them
the rest
turning them back to the cotton fields along the way
Massa Lincoln
the man who signed the title
and got the keys to the freedom car
April of 1865
didn't go very far
southern plantation owners
their descendants
still having the final say
and we are still seeking the freedom
promised to us yesterday
even Hollywood got into the act
Birth Of A Nation
the newfangled
slavery
rubber stamped by the KKK
God have pity on them all
who used the Holy Bible as their tool
all references to freedom removed
as it was taught and monitored in Sunday school
and we first celebrated in the state of Texas
for news of so called freedom coming two years late
many were shot or drowned in
cold and muddy rivers
or hung from countless trees
forever live the souls who could not wait
and today
we celebrate a day that we are still waiting for
standing in the hallways of freedom
still knocking on the door
when election days come
and the polling machines in your district don't work
they will appease you by playing some James Brown
while watching you dance to the Watusi
the Monkey
and the Jerk
or the polling hours may change out of thin air
doors locked and closed
one hour before you get there
so
what is Juneteenth?
just a reminder of the times
just another day off from work
so I can write these rhymes
strange fruit fallen
long rotted from southern trees
the voice of Lady Day still singing above
from her heavenly glistening mic
or you can pay your nickel to the jukebox
and change the song if you like
go for what you know
Juneteeth ain’t really a day of celebration or freedom
we still got a long way to go
