A Blackman's Riff

Defining US

First off before I start my Blackman’s riff
I don’t want these words to send you off a cliff
Which could indeed make your body completely stiff
Let me define who is us?
Us are those oppressed
Us are those suppressed
Us are those continually depressed
Us are those neglected
Us are those constantly rejected
Us are those whose ancestors were enslaved
Us are those whose ancestors were tortured
Us are those whose ancestors were even butchered
Us are those whose ancestors weren't even paid a full day's wage
Us are those whose ancestors worked on chain gangs
Us are those whose ancestors mothers felt hatred's pain
Us are those who know the sound the jail cells closing
Us are those who know the sounds of mothers moaning
Us are those who know the sounds of daddies groaning
Us are those who seek shelters relief
Us are those who now understand society's disbelief
Us are those who see blue and panic
Us are those who see blue and even know what it means in a state of frantic
Us are those where reading words are barriers
Us are those who understand being treated worse than some white man's terrier
There is a little us in me, us in even in you, especially if your skin color has shades of black
Those shades that had you singing the blues
US is not the US of A because that nation has excluded US.
White Supremacy can’t define US

#joesmokeblackthoughts