Shining from within

skin drenched in melanin

Dragged across the sea

Stacked in a ship of filth and misery

Forced to face unspeakable horror

Bondage, whips, chains, you wore

But what lives in you

taught you to endure

For the souls of black folks were made to soar

Fought for your freedom

in exchange for lynching and beatings

Trapped in the Jim Crow system

Legalized segregation,

true motive hidden

But through stealth, strength and stamina 

you worked to be more

For the soul of black folks were made to soar

(Unfinished)

T.C