Slavery Not So Bad

A poem of sarcasm.

(I wrote this after seeing a picture of a slave family in front of their cabin.  They had dressed up as well as they could for the occasion, but the unhappy facial expressions were unmistakable.)

 

Slavery Not Really So Bad

 

By Elton Camp

 

Although it seems evil in present eyes,

For slavery there is no need to apologize

Slaves were just a happy-go-lucky crew

A whole lot of the time with nothing to do

 

The kindly masters provided means to live

And tasty food they made certain to give

In such nice houses allowed them to stay

Far better than a jungle grass hut anyway

 

Master kept them from literacy you see

So that their lives were of friction free

Virtually no irksome decisions to make

So there was no reason to fear a mistake

 

Even their very clothes Master provided

They were sewed just how he decided

They were most privileged of all races

As shown by the smiles on their faces

 

 

Reviews

[Elton Camp]

Posting satire always carries the risk that someone will become offended and think that it is speaking well of the subject. Slavery is a "hot potato" that most wouldn't dare write about in this manner. There are someadvantages to being old and retired. If I was still working, I wouldn't dare take the chance of posting this. It helps that I have a local reputation as an advocate of human rights long before that view became "respectable." That gives me a degree of insulation against criticism, but only in my local area. It's a shame that I can't include the picture that inspired this write. The lack of smiles on the faces of the enslaved persons is crucial to a complete understanding of the poem. The picture does appear on Scribd.com and can be found with a Google search if anyone is interested. [email protected]

[Libby]

Without being told it's sarcastic, It almost seems serious. :s But very good indeed. c:

[Zeek4]

Great satirical piece.