Shitolian

[Guest OPersaud]

hide and seek

when we were young
there was this game
that we did
we hid

 

in the most
inopportune places
broke up
into many different races

 

some hid high in the attic
others were subjected
to the basement

 

hell though
i’d prefer that placement
high yellow descendants
trapped by infringement
be a lesser sentence
than be out in the field
yielding crops
baked all day
in the kneeling hot
we’d hide in our skins
and grin a lot

 

some of us

 

hid in our souls
the ones you cannot
reach nor control
with your whips
your contradictions
that stitched our backs
with a perceived grip
cause we survived those ships

sometimes

 

we’d hide in our songs
but some of us refused to hide
cause they were too strong
wanted to be free
grew tired of being wronged

 

some of them
were hidden in trees
dangling
all
summer
long

 

some

 

hid on their knees
did what we needed to do
in order to remain free
to not be found
weighed down
some of us
hid in plain sight

 

some

 

chose the right
others faked that way
then turned left at night

 

some

 

hid in the streets
fought for different
hiding places
a little more discrete

 

we beefed
against one another
chose different colors
which only exposed
more hatred towards
our brothers
but even worse

we hid from one another

 

Hello everyone, this is an excerpt from my new book "Shitolian."  It is a collection of my poetry that centers around racial inequality, politics, spirituality, and philosophy.  If you are interested in learning more about the book, please feel free to visit the link below and read the many rave reviews I have received thus far, and if you are compelled by my message or not, please feel free to leave a review.

 

https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/shitolian?fbclid=IwAR3LbTJ1u7NxJ3DZwNuGlpmzoXdYg8_b_6-CdyF9AgAEaWqkXnFnpQklYxw

 

Many thanks

 

O Persaud