River DeNile
A series of work in which I confront fear and denial in the face of history.
The Last Dawn in Eden
Oh Mother Queen of the night
Your beauty has left my memory
Your soul still weeps within me
I sleep with eyes open searching for the light
In a world where left comes before right
Left right, left right, left right, left right left…
I still see the Dawn even though you are gone
I Knew No Name
I came from a family in a village where my voice was free
We had a bond that they never understood, but so be it!
And after that day I knew no name, but the one you gave me
I Remember the Ship
Captured shackled and sold
Worth more than money, more than gold
I still smell the spray from the Ocean I was forced to cross
Days and nights no land in sight
I beg for death with all my might
Children of God
If I were born a child of God, then why is my life so hard
I was born a slave in the land of the free and four hundreds
Even now I am still trying to free that which was inflicted on me
IF Only Tomorrow
Maggot, flies and honey bees, were a sign of what’s hanging in the trees
Picnic basket, baby in tow, come on family it’s time to go
The south had nothing to fear, it was the thing to do far and near
I see the remnant, I see the tear, I saw the shackles without being there.
Stand Firm Within
But a dream to be free would take more than just you and me
Look around and you’ll see, look inside you and you will find me
Stand firm, stand tall, let’s erase the writing from the walls
Stand firm within, stand tall….
Freedom unborn
Freedom still unborn banging on the doors of dawn
You gave me your books and told me your history
But why am I subject to your story when mine holds so much glory
For today is here, tomorrow’s gone
You are the reason I was born
The Chain Gang Stand
For the chain that was on my feet is now on my brain
It’s like thorns wrapped around my pain
Behind iron curtains castrated in shame
It’s hard to win once you get in, for even if you fight
At some point you’ll be forced to give in
Your life is over even before it begins
The White House
I built the White House with these hands of my ancestors
Skin of dust, blue black, midnight chocolate brown
These hands of rusted steels are the spines inside those walls
So when I share with you how I feel, don’t throw me a frown
And chase me out of town when in front sits a fountain oozing with
Blood sweat and tears.
Butterfly on the Horizon
For Eden has dried up and flowers no longer bloom
Change must come now! Or our future is doom
My colors are fading and darkness is calling
One by one butterflies are falling
And I don’t know, I just don’t know what to do
But I know I must do something
And I need you.