Shackles and Chains
By: Monet Bouie
Dear my brothers and sisters
We need to make a change
I am tired of being held back
By these shackles and chains
Taking the name that suppressed us
Is used now to progress us
But is still used to address us
Are still our shackles and chains
The taste of disgust from the sight of my brothers
Who devalue, debase, and destroy one another
Calling women sluts and whores included
But when it comes to your mother those names are excluded
These are our shackles and chains
And my sisters who slander themselves by the dozen
Light against dark between sisters and cousins
Because lighter is brighter, no darker is best
I can’t tell anymore like we’ve made no progress
These are our shackles and chains
Dear my brothers and sisters
We need to make a change
I am tired of being held back
By our shackles and chains
You need to make a change
Make that change
So what are you going to do about it?