Black to Black – by Steve Reid
My friend… my enemy
My partner… my competition
My hope… my despair
My lover… my conspiratress
My strength… my weakness
My vision… my cloud
My people… my loneliness
My joy… my pain
My heart… my dagger
My peace… my war
My rise… my fall
My beginning… my end
My land… my exclusion
My future… my history
Enslaved Woman – by Steve Reid
I breed workers for my master.
I breed for my master.
I breed for the strongest in the yard.
I breed… it’s hard.
I cook for my mistress.
I scrub my mistress.
I nurse for my mistress.
I am raped for my mistress.
I can’t love my children.
I have no children.
I have no man.
I can’t love a man.
I have no god, my god is dead.
I have no friends, my friends are dead.
I have no hope, my hope is dead.
I have no peace, my peace is dead.
The Pain – by Steve Reid
I cannot be a Man.
He takes you and I must let him.
Keep smiling for my master lest I am banished.
What’s worst?
Wanting to love you as an African man would, should? But can’t.
Sharing you with the scalded skin animal.
Or living, serving, these beast.
Where can I run?
Who can I run to?
Should I too be lustful towards our young maidens?
The values I remember from my land afar are counted as zero.
Oh the pain.
The tormenting pain.
My mind is slain.
Queen – by Steve Reid
I can’t stop trembling.
Captured, bounded, dragged.
Rawness, blood, shrills.
She and her swollen belly thrown to wide waters.
I bleed, yet the beast is upon me.
Laughter, ridicule, my scorn… no ease,
uwā, uwā, uwā.
Man child gouge them eyes.
Sold! Sold?
The beast is upon me… again
What am I?
I want to be… I was… Queen
Loggerhead logic – by Steve Reid
Alas we meet at this table of negotiation.
Bless the last 400 years.
Now we say forget your sorrow, frustration and humiliation
for aid has passed to ease your tears.
Your forefathers faced with annihilation
were wise in their actions to banish our fears.
Humble yourselves like those gone before in the days of yore.
We rule and set the standards.
Our indoctrination, our wise counsel remains your core.
What else have you? You are mastered.
What can you bring to the fore
when your behavior is liken a bastard.
Your ignorant are at peace, your educated are bliss.
Why ask reparative justice?
Your masses are busy, hustling and see no need for this.
Let bygones be bygones, give this a miss.
Friends forever, show no fists
remain second class, third class… in your own mess.
Onward soldiers – by Steve Reid
Some say it’s foolhardy.
Some say impossible.
“You mean you got time to waste?
Who interested in that?
Man relax do. White people ain’t paying you no mind.”
I want my grandfather back pay!
I honor my mother and father.
I love my ancestors.
I love my future descendents.
Reparations… a must.
Repair the damage.
Recognition, Justice, Development.
The time is now.
Onward soldiers!
Not the End – by Steve Reid
Darkness… how long before my watery grave?
I no longer smell decay.
Words now heard jumble, bounce, fade, mindlessly.
I am going.
Mighty Ancestors…am I forsaken?
Once strong friends and enemies alike, now shackled, bundled in dissonance.
Dethrone by despots, despised, despairing, dispatched.
My time is up, spirits gather.
Comfort I Jah!
The righteous shall not be forsaken.
Thou will be the reincarnated souls
to restore our Majesty.
Spirits invade tomorrows’ children!
Selah.
You S A – by Steve Reid
Tell me which one.
Who will pay reparations?
Don’t bring to my plate said the last, though black and beautiful, I am President for all.
All lives matter.
My clothes are blue, red and starry.
What redress?
Blue lives matter.
Silver and gold have they plenty,
From Foundation to Foundation
Rich lives matter.
Get back to greatness.
Deceit and trickery rules.
Politicians lives matter.
Neither man nor woman we be.
No telling one from the other.
Queer lives matter.
40 acres and one mule.
No entendemos
History doesn’t matter.
Reparatory justice is the agenda.
Who cares?
“Black Lives Matter”
Babylon the bandit/#tenyoumust – by Steve Reid
Start wid de apology.
Sins of ‘ur fathers and founding heroes… crimes against humanity… show remorse
Return InI.
Africa awaits its creators… Ithiopia stretch forth… kings and queens shall come
Make First people 1st again
Stop the genocide… the gods are alive… Indigenous people marginalized no more
Build cultural memorials
We want the truth…we will never forget… future generations are blessed to know
Finance medical research
Hypertension… diabetes… you make them high so
Eradicate illiteracy
Dan is de man in de van… jack sprat can eat no fat… colonial education highlights
Fund African knowledge programmes
We linking with Africa… watch we grow… together
Support psychological rehabilitation
Stop the lies…repair the damage… you need it too
Transfer technologies
No more as primary producers only…we innovating now…mind expansion
Pay your debt
You owe we… we own nothing… banish your unjust stranglehold
Heal – by Steve Reid
Who made you so self-righteous?
What made you so aloft?
Is it your meagre success? It is meagre for your lack of imagination.
Is it your despair? You never started that way.
Where is your pride and honour? Beaten away?
Were you “born big”? What of your mother and father? And theirs… forever?
Well not me!
My ancestors are with me, in me, are me.
We live to be free.
Look at the down-pressors’ riches! You should be ashamed. Liars, thieves, murderers… my God!
You say no to reparatory justice…?
Closed minded fool in your comfort zone.
Heal you must.
Up you mighty people!