Sailors with no Shore

By Tramaine DeBose, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

sailors with no shore

seasick, heart throbbing

and eyes sore, for sight

benthos under an ocean 

of mighty bills

mother nature skipping stones

on still water for fun

we set sails with yellow stripes

and slowly run

our oars match the felled echoes

of tribal drums

traveled like cattle

to young lands 

where malvaceae plants

are plucked from the labors

of dark hands

a host of demands

to deaf ears

living with the fear of complexion

separated by tiers 

of brown skin

the children

that never learned to swim

the victims

that still win

undefeated 

in chains

tied together