Of course, you did.
Your ancestors had on the shackles,
the leg irons,
the ball and chain.
It really wasn’t you that suffered
the pain of crossing the sea
in the hole of a ship
caged like animals.
Separated from families
with nothing to gain.
The villan set them up
on the auction block,
and the master paid his fee.
But when you decided to climb
the mountain and rushed
to get to the top,
One of the stones you stepped on
could have been me.
It’s time now to forgive and forget,
and begin a new chapter in our
his-to-ry.
Amen
by W. Everett Beal
Copyright 2000