Rosewood Poem by Jon M. Nelson

A woman was savagely abused,
By her lover and was being used.
She asked him to stay but he refused,
So a different man was accused.

She looked like an awful site,
After their vicious fight.
She said his skin was dark as night,
But her mean lover was white.

“Rape” was the word she claimed,
Because she felt so ashamed.
Her lover she didn’t want to name,
So a different man was blamed.

She was married and had an affair,
But nobody really seemed to care.
She didn’t want people to stare,
So she said it was someone else out there.

Many knew what was really true,
But the manhunt would still ensue.
An innocent man they would pursue,
As the hatred and tensions grew.

For many of them it was quite a thrill,
Just looking for a black man to kill.
They hunted so many against their will,
This cruelty is talked about still.

They knew who really committed the sin,
And with them he had the same color skin.
They had evil intentions deep within,
So therefore nobody would win.

The black men did their best to hide,
But that night so many still died.
With no judge or jury some were tried,
All because a white woman had lied.