Inspired By “Their Eyes Were Watching God”

~By Melodie Olson

Thoughts of Sorrow

A small war of words, kept inside of me
Bein' married tuh Joe, "Well, it wasn't chee'ful",
Sorrow filled mah heart, as ah' was tellin' Phoeby.

Mah mind, protect me from his enmity
Feelin' powerless by de' mean bull,
A small war of words, kept inside of me.

Mah tresses ah' could touch, feel, and see
De' head-rag! De' head-rag! Dat Joe resentful
Sorrow filled mah heart, as ah' was tellin' Phoeby.

As every eye witnessed, fallin' tuh mah knee
Blow'd mah face wit his hand, like a fury hull,
A small war of words, kept inside of me.

Deep in disgrace, wallowing to be free
A facade of my own race, from fear that mulls,
Sorrow filled mah heart, as ah' was tellin' Phoeby.

Where is de' real Janie?
A bench of thoughts draped, mindfully,
A small war of words, kept inside of me
Sorrow filled mah heart, as ah' was tellin' Phoeby.



Finding Fulfillment

Searching her innermost uncertainty, her wisdom elopes
Wandering to the shrub, grasping the jaded billowing fruit,
Her young at heart quixotic yearnings, solaced by Gram's Hope,
The wise utter, "partners will create love" only to follow suit.

Being conjugal was about love, neither disparaging or old
Gram Was preaching matter-of-fact to the ear, sitting on a chair,
"Honest, hard-working farmer that Logan Killicks is", as Gram Told,
Serenity, passion conjoined as an impressionable love affair.

Gram's View of humanity, impacted by her slavery
Indigent and adversity, branded by the shade of her skin,
At sun down earth's recreation starts, brought by morning's bravery,
Gazing towards the upland, images of forsaken matters begin.

The aspirations of nuptial bliss had fallen, feeling overwhelmed,
The horizon awaits infinite promises at the edge of God's Realm.


De Way Ah Sees It

When ah was uh buddin' chile, I live wit dem white folks
Mah self, "well, ah thought I wuz white till de age of six",
Everybody, even de chillun were all laughin', crackin' jokes.

One day, de sheriff stop by talkin' 'bout chasin' mah dad,
Cuz what he done to mama; afta' awhile he wanted to marry her,
Gram saw dat ah was hangin' my head, cuz I felt real bad.

De way ah figure it, "White man only laks de blacks he know,
an de ones he don't is a unruly negro."
Dem made a law 'bout segregation, it's de Jim Crow.

One season, ah met a lady wid chalky colored skin
It was plain tuh see, she didn't lak color folks,
De whereabouts of dem, and heaps of distinct kin.

She say "Dey snigger lots, and Dey snigger too high.
All de time, crooning de blues, all de time slicing de
baboon fuh de white people. Dey lure light from de sky."

Teacake think she too dissimilar to folks lak us
He wuz irate, telling me 'bout her, throwin' a fuss,
Frowning on her view of life, de world and thus.

He knows dat it's comfortable to be friendly wid de white folks,
De way ah figure it, "White man only laks de blacks he know,
And de ones he don't is a unruly negro."