Harry Seymour

Springtime

Spring of 2024 / Dressed up for Easter / With nature’s rebirth / A calm before the storm / In an election year / Like none other.

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Why Black History Month

Why Black History Month

Were it not for slavery

There would be no

Black History Month

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Or a Malcom X

No Barack Obama

Our first Black President

And arguably, no America

As we know it

Built on sweat and tears

Of free labor

Over hundreds of years

Making a young nation

Prominent and wealthy

Beneficiaries of a servitude

Both north and south

Until slaves were freed

Only to endure Jim Crow

Discrimination and segregation

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A New Year's Resolution

Not to fly away / If I were a bird / With a panoramic view / I’d see a paradox / Throughout the ages / In mankind’s inability / To reconcile / Hypocrisy with hope / Knowing what’s right.

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All-Island Art Show

An open-air walking event / Not at all pedestrian / Organically home grown / Authentic to its core

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The Ghost of Amistad

Black cargo in shackles / The bondage of slaves / Willing to die to be free

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Holding Hands

Holding hands in public / An overt sign of affection

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What's It Like in Winter?

A perennial question / Asked of Islanders / Is for the birds / Who've flown the coop.

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Change We Can Believe In

To believe one vote / Can make a difference / Is an act of faith

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Vacationing While Black

Driving while Black/Shopping while Black/Realities of being Black.

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Oak Bluffs Fireworks

Boom, Baam , Bang, Boom, Each earsplitting sound, Meant to arouse.

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