June nineteenth one hundred and fifty years ago

Juneteenth hint: three hundred

and sixty six days

after eighteen sixty four.

Major General Gordon Granger
led the Union Soldiers to Galveston, Texas,
to announce the end of the Civil war
and the freedom of all enslaved people.

Jim Crow sat perched

over the event horizon

waiting in the wings,
which brought darkened
(non-sheltering) skies

not only for the hot pocket
of suddenly emancipated
persons of color,
who would subsequently experience
immense prejudice
upon their embarkation

as (no pun intended)
"masters" of their own selves
while attempting to eke out a living
dirt poor, yet resourceful
hunkering down on plantations,
which property eminent domain
of federal government,
(a political entity

characterized by union

of partially self-governing provinces,

states, or other regions),

whereby said body electric
codified, fortified, and indemnified

manifest destiny, a phrase

coined in 1845, the idea

that United States destined—

by God advocates believed—

to expand its dominion

and spread democracy and capitalism

across the entire North American continent.

Though institution of slavery
supposedly rendered null and void
at the stroke of a pen
(courtesy Abraham Lincoln)
well actual legislation
passed by Congress on January 31, 1865,

and ratified on December 6, 1865,

the 13th Amendment abolished slavery

in the United States.

Nevertheless merciless abuse
heaped upon the negro
despite their legal status
being Granted leeway

to persevere life, liberty
and pursuit of happiness.

Recognition as equal brethren

among collective soul of American
fraught with bitter aversion,
condemnation, and ejaculation

of physical and verbal violence
against people of color,
whose melanin enriched complexion
birthrights rendered hidebound

severely limited
inalienable rights as declared

in Declaration of Independence,

now still utter abhorrence
regarding treatment

of those proud enterprising people,

whose once storied

African past left in tatters

leaving sparse threads
woven together by diligent dogged research

nsync with twenty first century technology
to allow, enable and provide opportunity

to stitch together a more complete tapestry

and spiritual fusion with shackled ancestors.