Poem: Free, But Not Free

Hello friends,

Today I’m sharing a work in progress with you, a poem I’ve been working on since last October, about the nature of freedom for Black people.

FREE, BUT NOT FREE

They said we were free

Unshackled from the need

To pick their crops

But we had to wait

And pick their crops

And pay them rent

Before we could truly be free

So we were not free

They said we were free

To leave their land

And find a place to be

But we could never own

The soil we tilled

And could only walk

In the spaces they allowed

So we were not free

They said we were free

To get some education

But not too much

They didn’t want unrest

So they priced it high

Putting higher learning

Out of reach for most

So we were not free

They said we were free

To move up in society

And take a better place

But only if we were light

But only if we looked right

But only if we played white

If not, we kept our humble lot

So we were not free

They said we were free

To travel to other countries

To make a better life

For us, and for our children

They never said that there

Just as at home

We’d face the same distrust

So we were not free

They said we were free

To mix with others

Who didn’t look like us

But they didn’t want us

They really didn’t want us

Burning crosses in their ire

Expelling us with fire

So we were not free

They say we are free

Civil rights secured

Though others took the spoils

Still despised and exiled

Still marked for death

In the countries we helped build

So we are not free

We are not free

When will we be free?

Thanks for reading,

Sharon

P.S. If you’re a paid subscriber, there’s a special treat. Look out for an audio version of this poem, read by yours truly, in an hour or so.

Check out some of my other poems below:

• I Didn’t Know (published in Decolonial Passage)

• Outside In — A Poem About Racism

• I’m Still Waiting

• It's Been a Year

“Free, But Not, Free” poem © Sharon Hurley Hall, 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Image credit: Getty images: boonyachoat

© Sharon Hurley Hall, 2022. All Rights Reserved.

I am an anti-racism writer, a professional B2B writer and blogger, and co-host of The Introvert Sisters podcast. If you value my perspective, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription.