The 400 Year Old Knee

Ten million bare indigenous bodies,
with straight black hair,
that reached the earth’s crust,
almond shaped eyes,
high cheekbones chiseled by the sun,
illustrious caramel complexion skin,
inhabited an arable land
over 400 years ago.

Nearly a half a million
white clothed bodies,
made of iron and clay illegally took
ownership of this arable land,
through "right of discovery" and
"right of conquest" claims.

White knees divided by the northern
and southern "America"
fell hard on the necks of the indigenous,
suffocating their breath, dreams, culture,
future, legacy, and land.

Lazy white planters were awarded
50 acres of land per slave,
since poor Europeans refused to work
the land in "America".
12.5 million beautiful bodies,
covered in hues of mahogany,
shining through the darkest of nights,
were forcibly snatched from Africa,
dropped off across the globe like cattle;
more specifically-- "America",
South "America", West Indies, and the Caribbean.

Made to plant, weed, and harvest tobacco;
along with corn, potatoes, cotton, sugar,
and indigo in an inescapable foreign land.

White knees divided by the northern
and southern "America"
fell hard on the necks of Africans,
suffocating their breath, dreams, culture,
future, legacy, and land.

White knees lodged on the necks of
kings, queens, princes, and princesses
leaving them gasping for air, while being
lynched, whipped, sexual assaulted, bought,
sold, torn from their families,
denied an education, wages, marriage,
home-ownership, human rights,
equal rights, and so much more.

1865 caused the white knee to slightly
be lifted off the necks of black "America",
now able to take a quick breath,
while adapting to the "reconstruction"
of "America", opening opportunities for
black men to seek employment,
vote, acquire land,
and use public facilities.

Black "America’s" alleged freedom
was fully equipped with
tattered rags, a broken culture,
lost identity, and a forgotten language.

Their luminous mahogany skin,
intimidated white southerners--
afraid one day the face of the black man
would rise out of the muck of injustices
and seek retribution.

Black families found solace in God,
family, and education;
while being terrorized
by the kkk for over 90 years.

Innumerable lists of activists and allies
were in the trenches for centuries,
pushing back the iron knee that has kept
people of color oppressed for centuries.

In 1965 Martin Luther King Jr,
along with other black and non-black allies,
knees fell hard to pray in Selma, Alabama
for 250 arrested protestors.

In August 2016, Colin Kaepernick
peacefully sat on the bench
during the Star Spangled Banner saying:
"I am not going to stand to
show pride in a flag for a country
that oppresses black people
and people of color.

To me, this is bigger than football and
it would be selfish on my part
to look the other way."

In September 2016, Kaepernick’s knee
quietly fell hard on the turf,
bringing outrage to some,
but overall awareness to
black "America’s" plight.

Isn’t it ironic, the knee,
the largest joint in the body,
can be wielded for good or evil.

May 2020, the largest joint
in a white police officer’s body,
fell hard on the neck of an unarmed
46-year-old black man, named George Floyd
for nearly 9 minutes in broad day light.

George Floyd’s breath, dreams, culture,
future, legacy, and land ceased
like the impeded blood flow
from his carotid artery.

This insecure knee
is still here in "America"--
land of the free, home of the brave.

There will always be indigenous,
African, and people of color in
these alleged "United States of America".

Our strength comes from
the Father of lights, community, culture,
and our innate power from within.

It is time to break the knees of racism,
injustice, prejudice, and hatred
with the harmony of love.

Stand firm, stand secured, on the shoulders
of African royalty;
adorned with gold, diamonds,
rubies, and rare gems--
Their knees will never hold us down.

Amanda Gorman (theamandagorman.com)

The Earth Speaks (iammichaelandrews.com)