Not quite ten pins to knock down
Not quite good enough for your town
Man my grades were better than yours
But who gives a rat's ass for my scores?
What you see are nine black faces
Not diamonds, hearts but aces
But who wants to fit in
With a riot, a din
Of white noise
Silly boys
No, I will not give in!
But hey
It's their world I live in
Who wants to be seen
With one of the nine?
"Hey no son of mine
Gonna hang with those niggers"
Well yeah, hey it figures
The spitting, the sniggers
Are fading with time
But one day I swear
(And I hope they'll be there)
I WILL NOT BE EQUAL
WILL NOT BE LIKE THEM
WILL NOT TURN MY BACK
ON AMERICAN MEN
Author notes
A testament to 9 kids who just wanted to go to school back in the 50s in Little Rock.
Please tell me what you think
Comments
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As I have said before, you would make a great civil rights leader. This one shows it. You have a way with words and the meaning of life that we all wish to have. You my friend are a true poet. Your friend in Poetry, Mysty Rain
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As I said before, you have a old, black soul inside you!!!
I think Fannie Lou Hamer would be proud of this poem! Your words "Hey no son of mine gonna hang with those niggers", read just like some Southern bigot. You create characters with your words so well. I could see those heroic kids walk among those racists. Your lines "i will not be equal, i will not be like them, i will not turn my back on American men", reminded me of frustrations that so many of my ancestors had. Thank you for taking me back, Stephanie!
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