Captivating Portrait: Emotions and Reflections ‘In the New Ark’

no reparations

(in the new ark)
a black beret neatly placed
by his mother surrounded
by three compadres
(in a white filled room)

steely brown eyes
focused on the interview
became almost tearful
as camera zoomed

brown face frowned
he spat a tortured concept
400 years a slave
in eloquent English

but there’s a disconnect –
for who can hear songs
of the pillaged past
sang along the Gambian River?

***

Another Poem by Skendong: Stop The Boats! Stop The Boats!

Further Reading: Why Schools Fail To Teach Slavery’s ‘Hard History’