Justice!,Justice!,What Justice?, or do you mean just us? Words like equality and liberty,doesn’t apply to negroes like me, I’m just an African trapped in the belly of the beast Ask Jim Crow, I bet he knows, They best way to break a negro,is by locking ’em up,and taking his soul Lock ’em,throw away the key, … Ever since I was a child, You’ve been right by my side You supported me! You Loved me! You ignored all the lies! I don’t know how far I would’ve made it with out you My strength and power, I attributed from you For without you, I am weak, Like a tree with no roots … You are the artery to my heart The star in my sky The air in my lungs The Amber to my fire When I was down Your words lifted me up When I was depressed You made me feel blessed Your encouraging words Are heard in my thoughts Whenever I fall, They pick me up … All I wanted, was my GED, not for my principal, to lay hands on me He advised me, that if I didn’t allow him to perform oral sex, that there would be no way in the world, that I would pass the test I was completely perplexed This was the head of education, down on … Continue reading DIARY OF A MAD BLACK MAN: PART 1 – Derrick Grantley Just another innocent Black man, Trapped in a state pen, With nothing but hate in him I ain’t the first and damn sho’nuff won’t be the last Black man has been victim to the system since the beginning, Just check the past False claims and accusations made by white women, Same thing that got Emmett … Does anybody care? or am I own my own to deal with my despair, They say we are the scums of the earth, And should have been killed at the time of Birth; Who cares that we are being subjected to torture, Deprived of sleep, stomped, beat and starved of food to eat; They scream … As I express my deepest pain, thru these quatrains and these stanzas, trust that I am genuine, for my anger out weighs my guilt Guilt of association Guilt of affiliation Guilt of humiliation Guilt of degradation Open your eyes and heart Some times the truth may set you free Ignorance is contagious All my life, … After 400 years of oppression and repression, Black men are still treated like a flock of sheep and some cattle; They hunt us and stalk us, Detain us, then Blame us; They look for any reason to put their Knee on our necks, and stop us from Breathin; “I can’t breathe”, were the screams that … After 4 long years of hate and divisiveness, Over 80 million people came out to vote, and to say good bye to you! Donald Trump,”You gots to go!” “Pack your stuff, and hit the door!” You can kick, scream, cry and complain, But no matter what, those vote counts, are not going to change Black … Quarantine isolation continues on Several prisoners test positive, but we still have not been given any mask to put on What type of professionalism is this? By the end of the week, we may all be sick Laying in our beds, limp and crippled, clutching our chest, gasping for oxygen Who cares about a prisoner’s … Will I live or will I die? Is the question that I ask! Co-vid 19, is in prisons, on the attack We were giving 2 mask One soap,that’s it For 7 months straight I’ve been wearing the same s**t Most officers walk thru, with there face uncovered Coughing and sneezing, Everyday I’m worried I know … You say justice for all? Man, you must mean justice for y’all! The system has never worked for negros like me, Ask Breonna Taylor, May she forever rest in peace! Innocent Black blood, spilled on the floor, No knock warrant, cops kicked in her door! How can it be, that the people that are suppose … Continue reading SAY HER NAME: “BREONNA TAYLOR” – Derrick Grantley How dare you have the audacity, to tell me, that I can’t be mad at this country, for all the things that it’s done to me! Locked me in a cell for 22 years, knowing that I’m innocent, but you refuse to give me any justice, whatsoever How can I be proud to be an … Hopeless and Stressed, Lost and Depressed, 21 years of solitude, Confined to a room With no where to go, So I pace back and forth Trapped in my thoughts, My mind wonders afar I have no idea, how long can I hold, Maintain my composure and not fall in the hole This has all been … Is black folk demand for reparations, really debatable? Without Black slavery, there would be no America! We were given no wages or respect for our labor, Just lashes by crackers, There whips across our backs Against our wills, we were all forced unto a ship, The ones who resisted, most likely, ended being killed In … Continue reading {REPARATIONS FOR BLACKS} – Derrick GrantleyAddressing Injustice – Derrick Grantley
Amazing Grace – Derrick Grantley
AMBER CARE’S – Derrick Grantley
DIARY OF A MAD BLACK MAN: PART 1 – Derrick Grantley
DO “YOU” HEAR ME? – Derrick Grantley
Does Anybody Care? – Derrick Grantley
Existing Question – Derrick Grantley
George Floyd – Derrick Grantley
GOOD RIDDANCE – Derrick Grantley
QUARANTINE 2.0 – Derrick Grantley
QUARANTINE WONDER’S – Derrick Grantley
SAY HER NAME: “BREONNA TAYLOR” – Derrick Grantley
The Audacity of America – Derrick Grantley
[LAST STAND] – Derrick Grantley
{REPARATIONS FOR BLACKS} – Derrick Grantley
Justice Arts Coalition
A national network and resource for those creating art in and around the criminal legal system.
Thanks to these poems, I know more on injustices