Poetry / Eisha Kaur Chandi
Rosa Parks
Although I can never hope to fully appreciate the profound effect that Rosa Parks had on the Civil Rights Movement, I hope this poem can serve as a testament to her bravery and courage, and how it shapes modern life for so many of us today,
My words trapped inside my own soul,
Unable to pick the locks inside,
Chained to a life of misery,
Because of whom I am, my hands are tied.
Since when does the colour of my skin make a difference?
Why should I adhere to these unjust rules?
I have no opinion, that’s just the way it is,
I’m different, down to my molecules.
Nobody knows my daily struggle,
The evil glances from the corner of your eye,
I can hear your whispers, feel their aura,
Lord knows what I have to do to get by.
Now your taunts are getting louder,
They’re echoing through my head
An outcast, don’t belong here
That’s what they said
Not able to eat from the same plate,
Not able to breathe the same air,
Not able to sit in the same seats,
It’s equality, they say. How is this fair?
So for once, I decide,
To do something different
A passive attack
Yet seen as so belligerent
To share the same seats as my captors
Is this too much to ask for?
Yes, it is, as I’m thrown in jail
But their actions lead to no further avail
Because we’re now able to eat from the same plate
Now able to breathe the same air
A segregated society no longer,
And even the same seats we share.