Forward In The 60's Poem by Curtis Johnson

Forward In The 60's
By Curtis Lee Johnson

In the rural South, sometimes life was cruel
Robbery from the poor was legal, via dirt cheap labor
In all practicality, one could say that we were going backwards”

In the North, city life was fearful and dangerous
I was robbed at gunpoint on one dark and scary night
No, not even one, could convince me that I was moving forward. Clearly, I was shaken in the South, and shocked in the North
Whether South or North, we were moved, but never immobilized
We survived the hot and impoverished conditions of Mississippi,
And we braved the cold and the danger zones of Chicago

Tempted, but never succumbed, to weakness and cowardice
We kept moving ahead, always thriving to push forward

There are memories of riot fires, gun shots, and sirens in the night;
But like all the trail blazers and warriors, who came before us,
We stood boldly, strong, and tall, by sheer determination