Stepfather (Part 1)

 (noun)-the husband of one's mother by a later marriage

"Our Father who art in heaven..."-Matthew 6:9

They said we were free
but the claim was buffering,

light skin was admired

but the darker was suffering.

Mulattos were made

because of fetishes for slaves,

creatures loved for taboo

but too taboo to construe.

If Pharaoh could oppress

what made masters any different?

We would have known about our freedom

if we weren't bred illiterate.

Slashes on our backs

because we were born with pigment,

packed in boats, unsupported

like bones with no ligaments.

Hard to fathom tough labor

with no insurance or wages,

CRT doesn't rewrite,

it just fills in the pages.

They say God's the truth

but won't tell it in the classroom,

some say racism is dead

but MLK wasn't the last tomb.

We had stewardship

over flocks and plants,

not ownership over folks

to pick and plant

cotton and sugar cane,

pawns in a bigger game,

called gorillas and coons

but given the master's last name.