My People Poem by Jamaica Alston

Come see what I have
clutched in the palm of my hands
cutting through the flesh
imprinting the skin
engraved in my bones.

Come hear what I have heard
Stories of the untold
Secrets that get caught in my throat
O' how my mouth waters to tell so.

Come see what I have
Clutched in the palms of my hands
The world of my people
The tears they have shed
The things they have seen
The torture they have bared.

Sit down and listen to the strength
of my people
Listen to the stories of how they rose
Rose to take a stand
To take a stand for those of their own.

Now think,
Think about if we had the morals
and values of our people before us.
Ha...The Knowledge
The Manifestation
Just Imagine,
when you ball that fist and say it Loud
'I'm Black and I'm Proud! ! '
Don't blame the white man for holding you down.
Did you ever stop to think that it's
self holding you back?
The problem with us today is
that we don't know how to help us.