Imagine living
In a diagram
"Don't cross the line
You're blacker than I am"
The racist blueprint
Was a paradigm
For sin
What damn asylum are we in
When seats are coded
By the colour of our skin?
Who would be the surgeons
In this hospital of war
We would need six billion bandages
To close this open sore
Author notes
Inspired by Rosa's strength - when asked why she took a stand, she said " I felt a determination cover my body like a quilt on a winter night." The diagram is a bus seating plan showing the seat that Rosa took. Or in my eyes the cradle of humanity.
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 9 of 9
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A wonderful tribute and yet another deeply empathetic and human poem from your compassionate pen.
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Oh yes, I remember Rosa and the courage she carried within her . . . thank you for posting this oh so moving and well written tribute to one of the few heros who have tried to make this sorry old world a better place . . .
Marc
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Well-crafted write on stark-naked truth,deserving
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Succinct and nicely put. Made for an interesting read. I like your wity diction.
, Dannie
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I recently went through Alabama on the Greyhound. During the short stretch from Birmingham to Montgomery I decided to sit in the front most seat for a personal, symbolic nighttime meditation. It was an interesting trip. At the Montgomery Station I started a discussion about race and racism and played a folk song about the Underground Railroad. One of the interesting points of the discussion contrasted northern racism with southern racism. The consensus seemed to be that everyone knows who is racist in the south and there is a certain amount of respect in that; in the north, however, people cover it up, are two-faced and normally passive-aggressive. Of course, this is a generalized over-simplification, but it is nonetheless interesting and revelatory. I only know one thing for certain: things are not always what they seem be.
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Thank you for sharing your heart. Your vision is perfect humanity holds the flaws. Perhaps oneday there'll be no need of bandages. One can only hope. An Excellent Write My Friend!
Peace in light and love
Noah
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This is an ingenious creative use of the diagram of the bus seating. Showing the black and white image is serendipity. Your poetry reads like a poignant photographic snap shot of humanity. It says a lot about who you are that you would select Rosa Parks as a poetic subject.
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Bravo
This is an excellent tribute to an exceptional person, Rosa Parks. (The more one gets to know of her life and beliefs the more one is impressed by her. Too often "idols" have feet of clay, this was not the case with Rosa Parks.) A superb poem! bravo... bravo...
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I can't imagine what allpoetry would you without you!!
I shouldn't be surprised by what you wrote! This is your grandest effort yet! The diagram inclusion is brilliant! It's also done in black and white. Whether intentional or not, you nailed the point, like a closed coffin!
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