1865

Dee Allen

1865, June 19th
Land of the Lone Star
Last of the Southern states
Became the
Last to receive news of a
Long, bloody skirmish
Coming to a close.

Brother versus brother.
Blue versus grey.
Amerikkka versus itself.

Two thousand soldiers from the East
Brought the magic passage
That made Africans abandon
The plantation mansions,
Previous owners,
The croplands,
Psychological trammels,
Human bondage.

Upon hearing those words spring from
General Granger’s lips, 250,000 of them
Rejoiced.

The reason for
Parades, outdoor feasts, erection of public places,
Expressions of pride trace back to this moment
When Africans ditched their metal shackles
And took their first breath of freedom,
Moved without permission.
250,000 Blacks were free, granted their autonomy.
By law.

Autonomy they could’ve gotten
As individuals through
Flame, arms, revolt, or northbound travel.
Torches to the master’s estate.
Hard oak to the overseer’s head.
Making tracks by following the North Star.
Leaving before the dogs caught their scent.
Departure before rednekkk rifles found them.
There would’ve been no need to heed
The words of a Northern White bluecoat
Then—–

Dee Allen

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Dee Allen is an African-Italian performance poet based in Oakland, California. He’s been active in creative writing and Spoken Word since the early 1990s, and the author of seven books [“Boneyard”, “Unwritten Law”, “Stormwater” and “Skeletal Black”, all from POOR Press, “Elohi Unitsi” from Conviction 2 Change Publishing and coming in February 2022, “Rusty Gallows” from Vagabond Books and “Plans” from Nomadic Press], with 42 anthology appearances under his figurative belt so far. Dee Allen applies his pen to notebook and responds to current events, long-suppressed historical events, and inscrutable human nature.

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