Slave Castles.

Ok so I just got back from Cape Coast. While i was there i went to go see the slave castles and stuff. What really disturbed me was how, even after all these years, you can still smell the urine, feaces and death (as a forensic student i know what death smells like and it aint pretty!). And as u all know i have to turn everything i see into poetry lol so here are two poems i wrote about my experience....


The kinks Won’t Die;

I tried, I really tried but the kinks wouldn’t die
Those kinks in my hair that some white people call “nigger nappy hair”
I burned them with an iron comb, heated in the flames but
They couldn’t be tamed
My ancestors were also burned with iron
Branded with their master’s names….

I tried the chemical processes which works for a while but
The kinks don’t die
The relaxer makes the kinks lay down for a while but they don’t die
My ancestors were processed too- with chemicals of hate and cruelty
And they laid down, but their dreams didn’t die

So I beat the kinks with brushes
Smother them with gel
Drown them in straightening mousse
Separate them into braids to divide and conquer
Hoping their spirit will be broken and each strand will obey

But like my ancestors who were
Beaten with whips
Smothered with sadness
Drowned in despair
Separated from their tribes to be divided and conquered

The kinks don’t die
They fight back
Like my ancestors fought back
They were forced to eat inequality, but no one could take away their
HOPE and DIGNITY

Those kinks just don’t die…
And now we know why…




Brief Pleasure;

sticky sweating dark bodies
bent over and achy with
fingers stiff and bleeding
from picking all day while
red scratchy eyes see
nothing but white
ears enjoying the humming
and chanting from their
slaves trying to boost
morale till the minute
the master will call

"Quitting Time"

sighs of pleasure
such a brief time
as they stretch
their backs and necks
while they go eat a
bite and head to
bed just to start it
all over again when
in their dreams they
will hear the words

"Starting Time"