great JOY!

 

faith, hope, and love...   moved to poetry...  

 

From Occupyers to Concentrators

 

Concentrators

In subterranean spaces

Hidden in plain view

the basement of Mears House 

provided sanctuary

for my family

be they masters children

we all are progeny of slaves 

when orphaned

and far away from home

 

we see you now here and there

sharing at our communion table

feasting and knowing it will never be

our last meal

where all are now welcome

we rest 

we pray

we play

we heal and grow strong

as we keep coming on…

 

Yet another stop on the underground railroad

To the world of the unknown

A fragile freedom

this layover would occur for months and years

instead of weeks and days

sleeper cells the seeds planted in dark places

under cover of night

by the Occupyers

 

for such a time as this

like the cave dwellers

barely five years later

we told our stories

we draw pictographs

scenes for which 

there were not yet words

I don’t remember dancing just yet

But I recall the sound of singing

And the music and the signs and wonders of our times

known by our enduring love

 

Jacqueline Laughlin '75