Ancestor's Song

The ancestors sing a song from within the ink that flows from my pen
They sing and they sing
And closer and closer
I push it to them
Penning out their aggravations
And their pent-up frustration
They sing I must take my station
And trust their administration
I am prescribed as the required medication
And I must be willing to accept my delegation
As the powerful penicillin devised to combat the pathogens infecting this nation
That I must give praise and appreciation
That I am not the worst
Neither the last nor first
But the penultimate
Sent to quench man’s insipid verse
So that today’s awakening slaves may not thirst
But open their eyes to realize the plight of their curse
And that there’s no price on earth to match their worth
They need to rise from the dirt
And recognise that we worked
So hard
So you all could be here today
They say, we are an ungrateful disgrace
We forsake the sacrifice they made for our life
We’re displaced
And suffer from a serious case
Of conceptual incarceration
They say they won’t let me rest
Until I express their indignation in my conversation
Anytime I bless the mic
Or take the stage at these occasions
So I bear no resistance
To their pentatonic scales
That continually haunt my existence
And never fail to bring me back to the land of the living
When I am slipping
Singing…Do not give in…Do not give in
That I am born as one of their shining stars of hope
That amidst the thorns
I will be the rose that never chokes
But continually grows
As long as I never relinquish my position
Within this mission for which I’m chose
And remember that my grandmother said…
“No fret, the holes in her dress could never compare to the holes branded into our ancestors
flesh”
Though now we compare that to the holes blown into another brother’s chest
For less than you’d expect from a race established in honour and respect
Nevertheless
Never forget the quest we have set
For it is already said
There will be victims of their victims
And victims of their test
And there will only be reconciliation
When we
Can finally
Rest.

Published by

PHOENIX JAMES

Phoenix James is an award winning Writer, Poet, Author, Spoken Word Recording Artist and Producer. He began performing his poetic words live on stages across the United Kingdom in 1998. His debut spoken word poetry album, The A.R.T.I.S.T, was released in 2000 under the moniker, Phenzwaan. Phoenix James’ first limited edition printed collection of poetry, To Whom It May Concern, was published in 2003. He has toured and performed his spoken word poetry internationally since 2004. Phoenix James has appeared in films, on television and radio shows, and collaborated with other artists, singer-songwriters, actors, musicians, filmmakers, directors and producers. In 2013, he wrote, directed and produced the feature length mock documentary film, Love Freely but Pay for Sex. Phoenix James has written, recorded and released several spoken word poetry albums including, Phenzwaan Now & Forever (2009), A Patchwork Remedy for A Broken Melody (2020), FREE (2021), Haven for the Tormented (2021), With All That Said (2022), and Remixes Volumes: 1 & 2 (2022). He is the author of, Love, Sex, Romance & Other Bad Things, the first collection in his new poetry and spoken word book series. Other books in this series include, Route to Destruction, Delirium of the Wise, Don’t Let the Daffodils Fool You, Call Me When You’re Free, Far from the Outside, The Ones We Didn't Kill, and Lessons from Everywhere, all available in paperback and ebook. Phoenix James lives in London, England and enjoys movies, music, plays, good food, long walks, and travelling. Sign up to his website Newsletter Mailing List to stay up to date with Phoenix James news and new releases. www.PhoenixJamesOfficial.com View all posts by PHOENIX JAMES