They cast their blame like shadows, stoking fire in the hearts grown hollow
A black man’s hand, cuffed and roughened, torn from roots he longs to follow,
Baptised in the black, bloody oil from infiltrated Iranian sands of sorrow
WE, the Black sheep, shipped to a promised land of lies,
A Heaven built on the backs of Black man’s silent cries.
Heaven wonders how many of the seven wonders,
Were wrought by the calloused hands of the black man.
Black tomes, torched to dust or hidden in shame,
Erased by a pen of guilt that fell from white hands.
The hands of a Black man could not fend for Black man,
For he toiled as the hand of a White man—never a friend.
But whose hand marks the end of a Black man? I vent.
Let these words echo with ease, from West to East,
A peace persistently paid in Black flesh,
A pound of each—devoured by the so-called beast.
Or let this poem burn, turning to beautiful black ash,
For it was coined and carved by the hand of a black…
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Bokang Moshoeshoe (Adv.) is a dynamic academic author and creative writer with a pen that flows through poetry, short stories, and children’s literature. His works span both imaginative and profound realms, merging his creativity with deep societal reflections. As a human rights advocate and an advocate of the courts of the Kingdom of Lesotho, Bokang brings a distinct voice to his writing, where literature meets the pursuit of justice. Beyond the courtroom, he serves as a writer and consultant for civil societies and the International Human Rights Laboratory (with International Supportive Futures), weaving his advocacy into his literary endeavours.
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Read – Man as His Alter Ego’s Shadow – A Poem by Ridwan Tukur – Nigeria
