“I just want people to understand that this isn’t ancient history this is still America today, my mom was born the same year MLK was murdered, my grandma would have been the same age as Emmett Till, they infested our communities with crack and aids only 30 years ago, so it’s important for people to understand this is the America we still live in and my people are still feeling this pain every day.” – Ed Axel
Note From The Editor: We came across Ed Axel’s poem when he shared it on social media last week and were immediately taken aback by his flow. We encourage you to go check out his Instagram and collaborative project, FLUXGAZE, as he undoubtedly displays a promising voice and eye that should inspire the next class of creatives. Much love Ed, thank you for letting us share.
BLACK BODIES SWINGING
Bumps in the road to slow down the speed
No that’s just black bodies piling in the city street
Black bodies swinging in the summer breeze
Blood at the roots and blood on the leaves
Walking on soil with a past I can’t forget
Bonfires, marshmallows, and the smell of burning flesh
I can still smell the flesh burn
I can still hear the snap of the next neck turned
You goddamn right we got burn down these streets
Cause you lynch and burn niggers and you start at our feet
We’ve been walking through hell in the land of the free
Blood seeping through the soil of the land of the free
Black bodies swinging in the land of the free
Black flesh burning in the land of the free
Land of the free and brutal deaths in a tree
Home of the brave but the lands not for me
You promised me freedom and equal opportunities
Promised me soil but never let me grow the seeds
White boy can you tell me how it feels to be free
Emmett Till was beat to death and he was only fourteen
And he only would have been the same age as my grandma
As a kid, she probably never dreamed of a grandson
Rape and tragedy in the soil that I stand on
Why god did this have to be the land that I land on?
Why god is this fucking noose around my neck still?
Any black child walking is the next Emmett Till
Got me feeling like the promises they made was never real
Cause the wounds that this nation carved in me never healed
Black bodies swinging in another empty field
Blood dripping seeping in the soil of the hill
Black flesh melting in another cracker’s grill
They covered up the scent but I can really smell it still
