Far From the Memory of Home (Poem)

Written for Howard University’s Black Classical Art Exhibition.

I escaped being swept out to sea,

Barely,

While fantastical tales of how you faired are sprinkled into the air

As if we knew what truly happened to you,

It’s been quite a while now…

It would have been a lovely time for an ounce of Oshun’s pity,

For the desecration of the ‘once was’

Place of innocence and hallowed beauty, 

A time of skipping rocks and taking shots at embracing the little things in life. 

If only time would have allowed us to have known what would be the ‘then’ 

And to take it all in. 

A gentle breath before the guns are drawn.

But I make no mistake as it is always the strongest who survive.

I’m doing fine…

        Now

Finally, free to wander 

Yet too far from home, 

Missing my kind

Of like-minded kind hearted folk’ 

And light-hearted jokes 

That allowed us to drift away into a seasoned tale of bliss

And what seemed to be a series of laughing fits, 

And

Without you,

I was forced to notice that

My skin wasn’t thick with malice and dirty tricks like the rest of them…

And I’ve been exposed enough now to notice

That all things change.

The future holds no place for us

And grievously neither does the past.

I keep this in mind and realize that we must individualize ourselves 

To find our way back to our roots

Of who we were 

Before avarice dictated who we would become 

And create something new with the rediscovered pieces.

But seemingly, 

It may never be at the same time 

As we are struggling to find a slight resemblance of the memory that is no longer clear.

By J. Williams