Open Run Sessions

Ancestry

I come from a family based out of Virginia

Slavery never plagued my family

But their skin tone was a plague

Lynchburg and Hampton made masochism an aberration

My lineage still stood strong in the face of opposition

Dear Higher Self

Remember it's not where you come from

It's how far you've came

You sit on thrones

Because of your ancestors being shackled in chains

Can you imagine the pain and disdain

Being out in the sun

Picking cotton and working in the houses

Even getting beat for fun

Or just because

Your blackness is not merited the death penalty or a life sentence

Them slave catchers didn't know better

Let's break down the dichotomy of your roots

Your mama and father are third degree black belts

Your Nannie was a basketball player

Your grandma was a preacher

Your papa marched with Martin Luther King

Your grandpa was in the Navy

Don't you see you didn't have to live in Bel-Air to be a fresh prince, king?

You were embedded in royalty

You've taken on the birthright to lead the next of your family tree

Blood shedding bullets blasted barrels boldly

Killing kinfolk but not murdering their souls

Yet still you've rose to the occasion

You're part of a chosen generation

A royal priesthood

What has been said needs to be understood by you only

Close your eyes

Picture prolific photos being plastered on hollow walls

Proving you went from shackles to the kingdom

Tears trekked treacherously down faces

Though they streamed in agony

They ascended in victory

This imagery cannot compare to the images they've faced in person

Open your eyes

Don't let the echoes of yesterday

Define your current day and tomorrow

Now breathe

Use this poem full of metaphysics as a redemption song

Freedom never came easy

But it's safe to say you're free

They went from being bound to hearing the trumpet sound

This is a reminder that the lost will get found.