Sign In Please Poem by Ted Sheridan
Sign In Please
I was called by the name of both a snake and a rat
I was sent packing into the deep dark underworld
Where the only light to be seen was unobtainable
I was a liar who had been lied to since infancy
Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny had both been dead
Long before the birth and crucifixion of Jesus Christ
Barabbas was freed to kill again and thus spawned a Hitler
Who never met a Jew he didn’t give a train ticket to
Providing he liked the cut of their cloth and skin
I was a Roman and an Egyptian
Called a barbarian by the Gods of Greece
Held sacred by those in the house of Hades
I was beaten and left for dead as the slave ships sailed east
Trampled underfoot of black masters with chocolate tongues
I was sold and then purchased by my own kind
I was a soldier of war and a gladiator to some
A pawn and a king rolled into one
I am who I am as long as I allow others to so define me…
That last line is one of the cleverest I've seen in a while, Ted. t x
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/26/2024 4:04:32 AM # 1.0.0.1119
Amen, Brother Teddy! This is a masterpiece, IMO. It flows beautifully and there is tremendous music here. Some may think it too preachy...but who cares about them anyhow? (That's a rhetorical question.) Your use of, what some will undoubtedly consider to be cliches, is effective here because no matter how much we'd like to think that racism, ethnocentrism, and sexism, are things of the past, they aren't. They are very much alive in this forum, and in our actual world. Thanks for pointing this out. One day....our descendants might actually find it hard to believe that humans were like this...just not yet. Those of us who are strong in our convictions about life, about everything under the sun, about ourselves need no approval from others. You're absolutely right, Babe, we do and should define ourselves. What a wonderful treat to find something truly of substance here this morning. You're a gem of man and a wonderful poet. I'm proud to say this publicly..but the wrath of those whose mission it is in life (for they have no other) is to obsessively attempt to define me...will now begin further punishment against you because I adore you and your work. I hope they prove me wrong. Trust me, a strong voice, a strong opinion, a strong cup of coffee...all very much worth it. Toodles.