"I pledge allegiance to the flag"—
"They dragged him naked
"Through the muddy streets,
"A feeble-minded black boy!
"And the charge? Supposed assault
"Upon an aged woman!
""Of the United States of America"—
"One mile they dragged him
"Like a sack of meal,
"A rope around his neck,
"A bloody ear
"Left dangling by the patriotic hand
"Of Nordic youth! (A boy of seventeen!)
""And to the Republic for which it stands"—
"And then they hanged his body to a tree,
"Below the window of the county judge
"Whose pleadings for that battered human flesh
"Were stifled by the brutish, raucous howls
"Of men, and boys, and women with their babes,
"Brought out to see the bloody spectacle
"Of murder in the style of '33!
" (Three thousand strong, they were!)
"One Nation, Indivisible"—
To make the tale complete
They built a fire—
What matters that the stuff they burned
Was flesh—and bone—and hair—
And reeking gasoline!
"With Liberty—and Justice"—
They cut the rope in bits
And passed them out,
For souvenirs, among the men and boys!
The teeth no doubt, on golden chains
Will hang
About the favored necks of sweethearts, wives,
And daughters, mothers, sisters, babies, too!
"For ALL!"
Notes
(Note: In a classroom in a Negro school a pupil gave as his news topic during the opening exercises of the morning, a report of the Princess Anne Lynching of October 18, 1933.
A brief discussion of the facts of the case followed, after which the student in charge gave this direction: pupils, rise, and give the flag salute! They did so without hesitation!)
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Canada
From guest Anorg2010 (contact)
Very good poem. I kind of want to move to canada after reading this -
I always get so choked up when the black issue is brought up, I'm an african american girl in an all white town, who are mostly ignorant....So when I read this, and notice you've done your homework, I have that much more respect for you! And I like the fact you used the pledge to conridict what this country does and says..
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I'm not sure how to react to this... it's very sad... and it makes you think... I guess that's what is important.
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Nice peom
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Wow, this is a really powerful piece of poetry. It is edgy and intense! It delivers a much needed blow of reality. Well done!
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It was obviously the colour of this boy's skin and not the 'proposed' assault that brought this young 'feeble-minded' boy to such a gruesome death.
The way that the pledge interrupts the lines giving their own power to the feelings of the atrocity is perfect in its effect.
The poem notes are interesting too, adding a melancholic feel to the fact that the children stood for the flag salute.
Vonnie~~
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I really like the realism of the poem. Popel brought light to the brutality that took place.
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Such a violent image. I am sure even today this goes on somewhere in the world. But for people to ignore the fact that this happened here in the United States is beneath anything really.
I am sure even 20+ years ago something's of this nature happened, or still happen.
I like the originality of the Pledge where it isn't re-written with the 'Under God' in it. It's in its original manner, as it should be.
A good piece that Popel has written here.
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