Before The Heavenly Jury Poem by Hannington Mumo

Before the heavenly jury I present this case,
Without an iota of malice, without a guilty trace,
And I plead that justice be granted anon,
To atone for the atrocities of ancestors gone.

Walking the lone lane of desolation
Has been the way of the black man.
And in the yonder blue streets
Of the last hope of the earth,
History has smiled at him,
And shown him a glimpse of mirth.

Did not the same breath of the same Father,
Make all men from mute clay,
And model all men after the Creator's way?
How then has it been, that some deem themselves better,
And some are treated like hell-bound serfs?


Before the eternal jury
I plead that all men were made equal;
And that they provoke the Maker's fury
Those that deem themselves superior.


And before I end my humble pleadings,
I pray that mercy be shown
To the black race so downtrodden;
So mocked and deprived.

Long live Barack Obama,
You, rare seed so dear to trampled hearts!
Like the Simeon of the Scripture,
This pen may now lie in sweet repose
For it has seen the promised redemption.