America is a plantation:

It just depends on where you sit.

And from where you sit,

It is the speed at which

they will give you bullshit.

The fact there are

Skinwalkers among

the safe places and

Spaces of Black people

should be a not shock to you.

Because —

You know —

They lied and betrayed Jesus too.

Understand that

Skinwalkers have always

Been among us!

Ever since Massa

Found one’ah us

Willing to betray

all that he is,

All that she was

in order to get a little bit more

Of where they got theirs from—

understanding all that they have is stolen.

You worship the oppression

and wonder why your life

is in ruin—

at the same time

Want protection from

who rescued from your

Own doin’!

You have to understand

that there is no room

For you at the inn!

That you have found yourself

Among thieves and robbers

and the same time

you wanna clobber us

For all that we have garnered

and say that we are lazy!

Have you been so far

From your mother’s table

From your father’s arms

You no longer recognize

I am you?

because I recognize that you are me.

And in that same breath

In the same life’s brevity,

I understand the same documents

That you worship?

They will hang you with.

They will use your blood

to keep the flag red, white and blue.

Red for the Blood shed

Here, there, and everywhere abroad.

White for ten same

Colored people who

Stole it and erased

All others,

Chaining the remaining as

If we had no mother,

Treaties as broken

As the husks of cicadas.

When you are

Hallowed out

Wiped and rubbed clean

Of blackness and its cause eternal

Blue is what you succumb

And remain

Once they hang you!

It is not my job to make you comfortable—

But to remind you of

All that is within you

That your rescue has

Always been in the room

But you continue

To your doom

but you must understand

because White father has

told you that black is bad .

And yet —

When the house burns down

You realize that we

are all you ever had!

But at the same time,

I had you your broom

Back to you!

there is no one willing

to stay here with you!

The plantations are burning!

Massa is dead!

And we have long time

before we go to bed,

so we have to keep going.

You sweet ‘round this porch

because this is what you wanted!

What you have worked for!

To be the best one

Outta all of us

And I say—

By that game you’ve won.

So, gone head and sit down some.

Rest a spell!

You gon need it for the

War yet to be won.

Because trust and believe

They’ll put your

Black ass at the end

Of a gun!

understand that you

Cannon fodder for

The cause of whiteness

because you have decided

To sacrifice all of yourself—

For all that they are!

And when the house burns down

Stay in there!

Because there is no more room

and we can’t share the air.

You have to understand

that you did this to you,

So sweep around that

front door like Massa

Told you to!

I will not be a mammy of a burning house.

-JBHarris, 4.17.24