Come chided children, gather around:
Let us talk for a while;
know where you are and the state of your
being here in this house---
seemingly without a roof top to protect you
when it rains---and reins all around---
be still child.
You need to be taught how to cover yourself
with the blood that has been shed for you---
anybody can act like a bunch of damn fools;
that’s why they keep putting us in certain schools.
Trees are now protected and the noose retired;
stripes are out of fashion---orange is now the new pride.
Chain gangs are alive and well; free labor by the bands;
License plates are out sourced; prisons now boast:
“Made in America by ebony hued American hands.”