My name is Damion Smith. I’m writing this email in hopes of getting your attention about putting my poetry in the paper. I recently read the article that was done about the Juneteenth celebration. My participation in the walk served as a further catalyst of inspiration alongside an intrinsic need to put my work out there on a bigger platform to join the efforts of the movement. So without further delay, here is a sample of my latest piece:

A Dedication To My Ancestors
A dedication to my ancestors
my predecessors,
my blood that chose the water
as a grave
rather than live the existence of a slave,
I can’t fault you
in fact
I applaud you,
the bravery to face the unknown
while the unknown was unfolding
to possess a spirit so strong
you’d die before it be broken
and I salute you,

I faced the fear of death through you
so you will face the feeling of life through me,
cause I is we
and she is he
and he is me
deep roots of a family tree
and I promise we’ll break the chains off of our minds & wrist
we’ll take the pain, regroup and untwist
the twisted inferiority complex
that is so complex
most of us can’t even see it
to my ancestors
who withdrew their lot from brutality
whose spirits couldn’t perceive
slavery’s immortality,
who’d rather perish
than endure the perils of servitude
I embody your intestinal fortitude
A dedication to my ancestors
my predecessors,
my blood that chose the water
as a grave
rather than live the existence of a slave…
-Damion X

© 2020
Damion Smith
Clewiston