By Rosemari Mealy
Anchored across the plains-some thousands of miles away-
The Eagle lost its wings.
And the Homing Pigeon
Detoured northward with the message
that Lincoln’s Proclamation
had freed the enslaved.
Scorched earth embraced the feet of
children, still picking cotton
their thirst relieved by
a Black mother’s finger
frosted with her own saliva.
Black men’s bodies hanging from trees,
Green Moss below encrusted with blood.
Scenes replicated throughout the south
by the losers who in their hatred
cut fingers, toes, genitalia and other body parts
as souvenirs from the cadavers.
The thought of those who they once sold, bartered, and raped,
In their twisted and unholy minds, would now make them the victims of prey.
Anchored across the plains-some thousands of miles away-
The Eagle lost its wings.
And the Homing Pigeon
Detoured northward with the message
that Lincoln’s Proclamation
had freed the enslaved.
In the State of Texas
Along the Brazos River, and Galveston Town,
the slave market flourished.
Fertile grounds worked by the enslaved,
Black women toiling in the sugarcane and cotton mills.
In the kitchens and hotels
created fortunes for the owners.
Documents of Slave transactions in Galveston Town,
Like the human traffickers of today
are namely identified as those who committed
this horrendous crime against humanity.
Some of whom, descendants claim the surnames of
Ballinger, Briggs, and Houston , Kaugffman , Mills and Austin
and the bible toting Charles Sayre, who owned twenty-four slaves
and 6,000 acres of land.
Anchored across the plains-some thousands of miles away-
The Eagle lost its wings.
And the Homing Pigeon
Detoured northward with the message
that Lincoln’s Proclamation
had freed the enslaved.
Meanwhile, ships kept sailing from Galveston Ports to Boston,
New York, Charleston, Richmond, Europe, and Cuba too.
Transporting bales of cotton, sugar, and molasses.
Black labor extracted. Black labor Resisted.
Broken and beaten whiplashed backs, tell the stories of how .
wealth was created; massive plantations flourished,
insurance companies were built and
Slavery in Texas continued.
Who kept the secret? Who destroyed the Proclamation?
How about the politicians and men like Julius Kaugffman?
He purchased Louise, age 30, an eight-year-old boy and a
six-month-old baby wretched from its Mother’s arms.
A documented sale- occurred in Galveston, May 13, 1865,
Then as planting season was over and the crops had been gathered,
two and a half years later -a long march and endless detours,
Anchored across the plains-from some thousands of miles away.
On horseback this time, General Granger casually rode into Galveston.
And announced on June 19, 1865, ALL Slaves are Free!
Some left, others wandered the horizons throughout and beyond.
Looking for loved ones, lost families, daughters, and sons.
Those who stayed were jubilant!
History frames scenes of celebrations.
Today 46+ states and the nation’s capital acknowledge
Juneteenth as a state or ceremonial holiday.
Parades and picnics, Murals and Markers abound in Galveston.
But Reparations -are still a distant dream to be fought for.
We must make real as the central demand.
This would be the ultimate-
Praise Song for our Ancestors-
Anchored across the Seas.
