Apollo Pews

Peering thru a gate of tears

free tongues,

Filing at bars to be heard.

Casting prayers,

from worn-out pews.

Seeking, smelling & seeing

- milk & honey -

but nothin's gettin' served

Four hundred and three

echoes of agony

and eventually,

others hear

the songs of freedom

folks been singing all these centuries.

Oh ancient Horn of Africa Queens-,

Brothers

Sisters

Teachers

Workers

Coaches

Preachers

Dearest Umi  

Students

Martyrs

Artists

Fathers

Mothers

Leaders

All Melanin cradled surviving hearts-

patiently teaching,

builders of the American dream

we are all seeking.

Find forgiveness for

the slower learners

of our species,

folks of my own near-term ancestry,

regretfully-, included.

Equality tastes sweet,

even when chewing with ground down teeth.

And at the end of the day,

under a cool shade tree with our full plates,

we will be singing & eating together

at the same table,

Celebrating the crumbling

systematic cage.