Two Poems from the Daddy

“It was intended that you should perish in the ghetto. Perish by never being allowed to go behind the white man’s definitions, by never being allowed to spell your name, your proper name.”
-- from The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

Historical note: Emmett Louis Till was a 14 year old African American boy from Chicago who was visiting relatives in Mississippi. He allegedly spoke to a white woman in a general store. For this alleged behavior, he was taken from his bed at night, beaten, shot and dumped in the Tallahatchie River. An all-white jury found the men who did this innocent. His courageous mother publicized the murder, insisting on an open coffin at his funeral so the world could see the horrific brutality he suffered. His murder galvanized the country and gave Americans the courage to march against segregation. Emmett was not forgotten.

Emmett Till
by MacDaddy

Black male, curious youth,
Galvanizer of a movement to reclaim humanity,
Sometimes, when I walk along the banks of the Mississippi,
I can still see your fist push above water, making
Waves still.

I can still see your skinny brown frame rise above water, your
Right arm jump at me then slowly, slowly
Ease back into the river, become one with the fog, those
Deep-set eyes fixed, that muscled right hand clenched, descending
Beneath the waters, crying
I'll never let you forget
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The daddy wrote “Survival” as a testament to African American’s long struggle for liberation in the United States. It speaks to his pride in his people and his recognition of the fact that he sits proudly on the shoulders of those who came before him.

Survival
by MacDaddy

We are like flowers on the banks of Mount St. Helens
Always near the crest of outburst, the jutting fire
The smoldering flame

Scalded with heat, covered with ash, abandoned
To wither with the frying dead again
And again.

Still---

We rise, recollect and return to green next spring
We rise; even bloom here and there
We rise, moist petals with deep roots

Still---

We rise. A sun people fresh grown
To breathe clear air. We rise.

We will always rise.