STRANGE FRUIT BY BILLIE HOLIDAY

12-7-25 As if racism could ever be new. Racism is as old as prostitution-the oldest profession. It is an evil thing that infests humanity with its latest chosen victim and demands accountability from one group because of their audacity to be born different-whether skin color, location or religion or etc. I was listening to Billie Holiday's Strange Fruit for the first time and was struck by how the harvesters of hate will always have a new target to point their hatred at and are always able to justify their hate-no matter how wrong.

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If you know what the Strange Fruit is...

How sad..

Yet educated maybe,

one is.

The strange fruit no longer hangs on trees..

No blood on the leaves..

Or the roots..

But on scraped knees..

from being dragged on the streets..

From clean homes,

clean sheets.

The sheen of humanity is removed..

From both:

Perpetrator and perpetrated..

Whom has the more to repay?

The childless mother..?

Thrown over the fence..

Spends her nights in tears,

with no recompense...

No way to pay back..

For daring to dream as those thought better..

In lands unknown..

the father is thrown..

In cells for the wicked..

his sin to be picked at..

The flesh of his soul to be flayed,

stayed..

from mercy.

The child left alone..

in a court full of men and women..

shaking,

as no hand to hold

his story untold with no father or mother to console him.

A treeless fruit to be ground

for the color of his skin,

for his parent's sin..

while the meaningless sound

of platitudes

and attitudes

of prayers not found..

Only in the homes of the rich..

and their clowns!