In
the silence of the night
I
heard the stomp of their horses
Peeking
through the makeshift window to see their torches
They
found him.
His
face was excessively battered
A
rope fastened around his neck with his arms bound behind his back
Shoved
along by his captures as they straddled along
And
as they pushed him to the ground they began beating him
Beating
him before our eyes
Punching
him and kicking him
Some
even rode their horses over him
Mothers
muffled the cries of their children
Covered
their eyes and forced them to turn away
This
was not a sight to be seen
This
was not a memory to remember
The
latch securing the door flew past my face as it was kicked open
A
few made their way to our shed
They
questioned us, questioned me
“Who
else ran?”
Asked
me repeatedly as I stood there
Shaking
from the treble in their voice
“No
one. I swear”
My
mother responded humbly
With
their question answered they stormed out
They
took him.
Dragged
him through the mud and muck
As
he fought to be free
Tugging
and gripping at the binds around his neck
His
bloodshot eyes were filled with fear and tears
Screaming
from the top of his lungs
Then
coughing from choking on his own spit
They
rode long and hard
Hauled
for the entire journey at the back of their horses
To
the middle of the field
Where
the lonely oak tree stood tall
Tonight
you have company
They
chanted foul names at him
Riveted
from the toll of his injuries
And
as he laid there we watched
We
watched though we knew what was coming
We
watched while his bounds were tied to a branch
We
watched as he pleaded for forgiveness
We
watched as they repeatedly struck him
We
watched until they finally set his tattered body a fire
The
scent of his burning flesh consumed our small community
An
as he hung there as an example to all who may be tempted to follow
I
thought to myself this man was a slave, just like me
Killed
for his only crime “The Desire To Be Free”.
