The Crying River is an excerpt from the book of poems, One Voice of a People, by Stephen Q. Gray
My mind flows back to my trip to Ghana to “the river bath”, a seemly quiet little river at the bottom of a ravine,
The water still and cold to the touch, was the place slaves were taken to be cleaned off, as they were marched from the interior of the continent to the shore,
The silent ripping of the water was suddenly broken when I heard a shrill, high pitched noise or scream coming from deep inside the water.
The water began to rise to my chest forcing me to fight back against the incredibly strong current. Trying not to drown, I turned my body sideways so that I wasn’t swept down river.
It began flooding my eyes, obstructing my vision, and like a wave, the blurry images of small children tied together by a rope came into view. Their small bodies were being whipped by some white dude on a horse, and they fought to survive the lashings from the whip as they tried to keep their heads above the water, so they didn’t drown.
The sight of what I was seeing sent a cardinal rage that took over my body; forcing me to charge toward this man to kill or at-least maim him enough to free these weakened and defenseless children.
As I tried to rush forward, my foot slipped for a second as my head dipped under the water. When I opened my eyes again they were all gone and I was left standing alone in this cold water.
My spirit was shaken, realizing that this swim was through the waters of my ancestors; their blood, feces, and even death, was all around me.
I walked away from that river, knowing all too well that if the clock had been set to a different time, I too, may have been tied to that rope…. fighting for my life…..
Copyright 2025 – One Voice of a People | Stephen Q. Gray
