A Nightmare Poem by Keith Ricardo Williams

images of the past haunt me
inspired by a poem
the ghosts of yesterday awaken
with their white sheets, and crosses burning
people running, houses burning
a noose around a neck
a certain demand for respect
images of the past haunt me
like boyz in the hood
a menace to society
a new jack city
where our minds were jacked
smacked by crack
blunted so high
you don’t understand rastafari
images of the past haunt me
like cooley high, and good times
those were the days
when they thought that was really us
especially sanford & son
junkyard living negroes
images of the past haunt me
like i have a dream
by any means necessary
no one but ourselves can free our minds
from mental slavery
ask not what your country has done for u
ask what u can do for your country
man do u hear that
images of the past haunt me
like a ghost with chains trying to escape the whip
the smell of flesh as its burnt or ripped
bodies being thrown off ships
in south africa in a jail he slipped
Martin, Malcolm, Biko the list grows on
the souls of the oppressor
as the oppressed struggle to survive
the rich get richer
the poor fight to stay alive
by digging out of trash cans
sleeping on grates
all images of hate
images of the past haunt me