the sound of the drums
made my mother shake her musical hips
I hopped on my father’s feet
as he stomped to the beat
the heat of the sun
smooched our skin
the laughter of the children
paraded in our ears.
the straw-colored men
ate our foods
and clapped along
to our dance.
they led us to a wooden
thing that sat on top of the water
where they promised
us to treasures of all kind.
the lightning smacked the sky
the thunder stomped above
they clamped chains
on our wrists
and stacked our bodies
on top of each other
we became cargo in an instant
our names were extinct
my skin branded with disgust
and my God was absent
we were doing just fine until they came along.
