The slave ship, inspired by Marcus Rediker's best seller | Teen Ink

The slave ship, inspired by Marcus Rediker's best seller

January 8, 2023
By Ana_K PLATINUM, Nyc, New York
Ana_K PLATINUM, Nyc, New York
31 articles 22 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
It is impossible to break the law. We can only break ourselves against the law.


‘Peaceful slavery is the way’,

They say,

To have power over the 'savages',

‘Those blacks’,

They say.

They spit,

On me,

Their poison courses through my veins.

And underneath my weary, resilient face,

I am scared.

Of what will come,

Of what shall be,

Of my family,

And of me.

They grasp me now,

Their pale, sick hands burn my skin,

Those blue-blooded, blond haired, barbarians,

Those powerful, tyrannical rulers,

Pull me into this vortex,

This black hole.

Now I stand before the mighty dragon,

A killer not a savior.

With wings drenched in gory blood,

With a mouth that swallows all in sight,

The gargantuan killer of life, I say.

But they call this dragon by two words only,

And when these two words are heard,

Gunshots, wars and crimes mysteriously,

Conveniently appear.

People run.

We scream.

A cacophony.

And yet, they defeat us,

They defeat me.

I cry with hopelessness,

As I teeter above the ring of hell,

As I'm dragged towards the deathly dragon they call,

The slave ship.


The author's comments:

When I first read 'The Slave Ship: A human history' by Marcus Rediker, I was profoundly bored with the monotonous chapters incessantly talking about race, racism, slavery and law. It seemed like all I was reading was all I've ever heard about the topic. Yet, when I was forced to delve into the subject, his writing spoke to me, and the world. I was lucky enough to be part of the student board that interview him last year and he opened my eyes to racism: behind the scenes. It was an amazing experience, let alone a very knowledgeable one. This poem is about the suffering of the Africans, their terror, their life, as it crumbled to shards of terror that stabbed them for every breath they took, every word the spoke. 


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