NEVER AGAIN

NEVER AGAIN I speak not of the holocaustNot the six million gassed to deathBut the writing, “Never Again”At the foot of a statue in JufureA man with a global map headWith arms outstretched, andWith broken chains of slaveryTo mark the end of an eraWhen free men and womenEven children were sold into slaveryToday, we celebrate at the Freedom PoleAnd relive Alex Haley’s ‘Roots’ in JuneWith boat regattas to James IslandAnd with the proclamation, Never Again Never Again, I heard them sayAs I peep to see the ironyNot to judge by the lightnessOf sea surface, shimmering in the sunFor the depth is dark and deepSlavery is as old as man can tellAnd there is no end in sightLooking at the freedom we won,The masters who sit in replacementOf the brutish slave masters of yoreWith all the apparatus of empire stateI can not tell the differenceAs ignorance keeps us in bondageAnd mocks the call for human rights

— t. reflexion, Jan 01, 2009

About This Poem

About the Author

Country/Region: NGA

Favorite Poets: Inspired by an article in an old manuscript , It reads:, AXIOMS OF PERFECTION, In the physical order – In the realization of the dream of beauty, In the moral order – In the realization of the dream of love, In the intellectual order – In the realization of dream of poetry, In the spiritual order – In the realization of the dream of the mystics

Critiques

t. reflexion

17 years 5 months ago

DoCollier

Thank you for the reading and for the comment. I visited Jufure in the Gambia where slaves were freed following centuries of slave trade. This historical site gave the idea in the poem. Best wishes. T.

easylife_2

17 years 5 months ago

Mr T

Wouldn't I love to go to the Gambia too,if it can inspire me to write as beautifully as this?You've given me shaky knees again.Thank you for this one.

t. reflexion

17 years 4 months ago

Thank you very much

Best wishes T.

Quillsvein1

17 years 4 months ago

you're

absolutely right here--Romeo De Lare, who had to witness the Rwandan genocide and was powerless to do anything about it because of UN Sanctions, frequently mocks that term--"Never Again". It happens again and again. It's happening right now. And it has to be said. GB

t. reflexion

17 years 4 months ago

Thanks, GB

Yes, there are various shades of slavery going on as we speak in this part of the world, yet, we celebrate freedom and independence from 'ourselves'. Thank you for the reading and for the comments. Best wishes. T.

Janice Pearce

17 years 4 months ago

Never Again

T, Sad, yet touching words here, written with your heartfelt feelings! Evokes my felings, WHY? _____________________________ To write a touching poem, you must gently stir the soul, if it brings forth tears or smiles, then the story was beautifully told. ________Janice Pearce_________

t. reflexion

17 years 4 months ago

At Jufure...

while tour guides take you through the museum, they boast of putting an end to slavery. But when you look at them and the absolute power of their ruler, you wonder if the word slave has changed in meaning. Thanks for the reading and for the comment. Best wishes. T.