Warrior Carrying Water Anthology
by Jason Lawrence Moore
Publication Date: Aug 02, 2022
List Price: $70.00
Format: Paperback, 546 pages
Classification: Poetry
ISBN13: 9798842814565
Imprint: Independently Published
Publisher: Independently Published
Parent Company: Independently Published
I’ve been writing one page poems over the past decade, about everything from history, life, politics, racism, daily observations, and more. From my experiences growing up in Indianapolis to traveling around the world while serving in the US Navy, and working in corporate America, I’ve written about my experiences and opinions about nearly everything. My journey (so far) is here for you to read.
Three Poems form the Book
#1 Good grief
I’ve only been to a handful of funerals
So I don’t have much experience with grief
Dreading sorrow, from life lost to time’s thief
A friend described a sad scene that hit me like a rock
At a cemetery, on Mother’s Day, four spaces from his mother’s plot
He arrived with flowers, to pay his respects
And saw a toddler with a tea set, dressed in her Sunday best
She cried, ‘I miss you mommy, so I made you some tea’
I felt heartbroken for her, and embarrassed by my trivial ‘woe is me’
A few yards away stood her father, with a tearful and watchful eye
As his daughter asked to be alone by the grave, all he could do was cry
My friend left, so that the father and daughter could grieve
I said a prayer for the unknown family, as a chill ran up my sleeve
What if we were the bereaved?
Could my daughter process my loss with such grace?
If my daughter lost her mom, could I give her time and space?
#2 Middle Passage Martyr
Trapped, hot, and nauseous, eight weeks at sea
Naked, chained, unbearable shame, no longer free
Blood, shit, tears, vomit, and pee
Everywhere around me
Arms, legs, hands, and heads, writhing in pain
Curses, prayers, nonsense, going insane!
Will they beat me?
Will they eat me?
Deathly smell
This… Is… hell…
Why have we all been cursed?
Life or death, uncertain which is worse
Bruised, branded, and whipped, I can’t stand it!
The skin on my back, got cracked by the devil’s whip
After the third hit
I caught the tip, with a desperate grip!
We outnumber them - let’s take over the ship!
Put them below in chains, to lie in our shit!
Most ignored my plea and call to revolt
Too petrified to push, too broken to hope
Heads bowed and eyes darted down to the deck
As the sole mutineer, my fate was set
Still chained to bodies to my left and right
I pushed them behind me, with all of my might
As fire and smoke spewed from a cannon, I wasn’t too surprised
A flurry of rocks and metal was my untimely demise.
#3 I’m my ancestors’ wildest dream
I’m my ancestors’ wildest dream
Slaves who survived by any means
Necessary, freedom was a sweet blessing
Angels cheering for me, down from heaven
We can’t imagine living each other’s life
I can’t fathom their daily pain, struggle, and strife
So every class, test, event and game
I work hard and smart so that I can claim
Success for them, me and my family
Their survival and sacrifice is what made us free
So I make a daily vow
To make them proud
Me, a rookie on my family’s team
I’m my forefathers’ wildest dream
I’m my ancestors’ wildest dream
Middle class, but my great grands think I’m a king!
Slaves made this country great every beyond measure
Died broke but gave all us invaluable treasure
I share their hopes, blood, dreams, and genes
What didn’t kill them all, made them sing
Spirituals of low sweet chariots
They slept on the floor, now we stay at the Marriotts!
I thank them daily for their sacrifice
They all paid the ultimate price
I time travelled back into the distant past
150 or so years ago if you do the math
To see my great grandfather* who was born a slave
An asset, his second Master’s $1,500 mortgage paid
He died free, so they put a different name on his grave
Than the one that his cruel captors and masters gave
Branded, bought and sold with a bank approved mortgage
Then discarded like lost goods, for years left in storage
The ‘land of the free’ was a Ponzi scheme
But it’s okay and why I say that I’m their wildest dream.
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