Flagpole

A Poem by Warner-Madden

Poem 33

Flagpole

Flagpole, flagpole, why you holding me back?

I want to raise my head as high as your flag

when it soars with pride

but I am starting so

low

on life’s totem pole.

I’m feeling broken, borrowed, and bruised.

teaching myself all this education

that the schools didn’t teach me… it was all about them, the victors and

like others, I am wondering what ‘bout me?

hiding all facts… including slavery… my life is just as precious as those first twenty who arrived in Jamestown in 1619

Why? To feel good and protect themselves and their legacies?

Sounds about white, oh, now we can’t teach the truth?

Black men graduate high school at rates less than 50 percent but no one talks about the positive, the resilient, the strong-willed, the Kings.

Which, if this were chess, in the majority of our cases, we have been captured by the opposition on numerous occasions- The System.

But anyone and everyone can quote

and reminisce of the many

failed plights and attempts or the

insurmountable barriers

set before our race… which I feel is going out of style

like furs in the south.

What about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs or do our needs not matter?

We’re humans too, but I guess not the same type

which is fine, however, do not allow your inferior mindset to attempt to belittle and write bad, angry, sad, treacherous, misleading and misdirected narratives… to satisfy whom?

When others go low, we must go high.

The lines for Blacks and Minorities heading into the courtroom, jail yards, and grave sights are longer than an ant’s journey from the feet to the ears of a Giraffe

Flagpole, flagpole, how you doing up there?

I want to raise my flag,

my flag of giving in but not giving up

Flagpole, flagpole, I will continue to be me

however, in doing so,

I will learn to unlearn

to discern the life set before my eyes

these brown eyes and brown body, this experiment of an existence.

When I look up, flagpole,

I will notice you noticing me, not stopping long to peruse but hopefully, I won’t stop when I see you

and I’ll look past you

aiming for the starts or heavens