Enslaved persons cutting sugar cane on the Island of Antigua, 1823, (The British Library)
She fed them well so
They would
Sleep,
And silently
She gave the slip,
To all she knew
Yet did not sweep
Away the bite
Of whip.
She fled,
So the child in
Her belly’s keep,
Would not writhe, helpless,
In another person’s
Grip.
For the dVerse quadrille challenge: slip
(Note: Dedicated to all who suffered and still suffer under the yoke of injustice, discrimination, racism, and pretense. We can do better than this. We must do better than this.)
Na'ama Yehuda 
Wonderfully done!
And so appropriate today, sadly.
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Thank you, Dale.
There is so much pain, and there can be so much healing, if only we listen, and do better. The courageous women who fled in attempt to save their children from experiencing the horrors they’d endured, they did not do that for their children’s children’s children – presumed free – would die, writhing for a breath, in the grip of cruel men in power.
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Yes. And right now, there is so much pain in the world. Not the same, but pain nonetheless.
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Yes, and pain can inflame other pain, and makes it harder to tolerate more pain … oy. Here’s to kindness. To being the best we can be. The most patient we can be. The kindest we can be. xo
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Yes. Here’s to loving kindness. 😘
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Xoxo
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Powerful writing, Na’ama.
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Thank you!
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You are welcome.
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Wonderful post!
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Thank you!
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I like the description of the explanation for her flight: “So the child in
Her belly’s keep,”
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Thank you, Frank!
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Sparse, well done and effective, Na’ama. I love this one!!
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Thank you, Judy!
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Echoed loudly….
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Sigh. Yes.
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The conciseness and grace of your words made this all the more powerful. So clear the horror and the courage. Well done.
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Thank you, Ali. These are tender times, but they are also reality for too many, every day, in too many places. Still. In variations on the theme. May we be a part in making the world grow up.
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You have painted an entire epic in this terrifying, beautiful and hopeful quadrille. The love that she showed, the weight of oppression. May we all be somehow free.
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Thank you, Lona. May there be less suffering in this world, and may the errors of the past stop repeating and may the courage of those who did and speak against it, hold a light to needed change.
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Amen and amen.
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Choices no one should have to make. (K)
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Indeed. And yet too many had to. And too many still do.
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This is truly beautiful. Thank you!
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Thank you, Linda.
I’m gratified it communicated …
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This is so poignant! Sometimes we have to make choices in order to survive …
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And often times those decisions would never need to be made if in weren’t for those who abuse power … All the more reason for us all to work toward a better humanity for all. Thank you for the comment!
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