by Chris Dahi
Twenty niggers went abroad
Hopped into a boat they did
Twenty weeks they spent at sea
Twenty weeks of cold and sweat
Captain Buldo tough and mean
Sniffed and prodded all over
Searched his tub from aft to stern
To make sure his watch is clean
From his stance afore the wheel
Call the sailors from the log
from the noise he hears at night
He is sure of stowaways
Twenty niggers cramped up tight
Twenty weeks within a tank
Each secured within his sack
Yet not letting out a squeak
Hungry, thirsty, cold and cramped
Twenty tortured souls of shame
Not one coward in the lot
Not one bum or lout or tout
Out they sneaked as the boat did berth
At the wharf of the manifest
Smack into the arms of the law
Now they sit in different cells
Wondering what really went wrong
When I spoke to one of them
Said he clear for all to hear
What I want is to get here
Not in care of fear or jail
What a shame for one to think
That some brothers so debased
Would our pride so cheaply sell
Just for crumbs and lowly state
Rythm derived from Twenty Froggies to School
Taken from the Diaspora Heartdrops – A collection of poems by Chris Dahi
