i scarce had strength to speak
the faint beam of hope was diminishing
a tear has found its way down my cheek
as every one of my limbs trembled
at times i would rise up
only to fall down in fear
alone in a prison
of inhumanity and tears
my mother had told me
"grow in grace"
yet how can i forgive the ones
that suffers our fellow slaves?
but in the darkness
i find my comfort and relief
in the songs
that my mother had sung to me
from the sorrows deep within our hearts
the tales of woe
a testimony against slavery
can be found in every tone
the lyrics drowned my sorrow
they were tones of loud, long, and deep;
The hearing of those wild notes
lit an ember of hope in me
my soul was set on fire
oh, if only i were free
oh, if only i could fly away
to the land of deliverance
My long-crushed spirit rose,
cowardice departed,
bold defiance took its place;
it was from this moment on
that i have decided
i shall no longer be
someone else's slave
a little piece i wrote for a project in social studies using the narrative of the life of frederick douglass