Necessary Conditions
I WANT THE COTTON BACK
I WANT THE FIELDS IT GREW FROM
I WANT THE FOOD IT BOUGHT
I WANT THE CLOTHES IT WEAVED
I WANT THE BLOOD IT SUMMONED
THE SUN IT DEMANDED
THE SCARS IT PAID
I WANT THE COTTON BACK
I WANT ITS LEAVES
ITS STEMS
ITS THORNS
ITS ROOTS
I WANT EVERYTHING
BUT ITS WHITE
I WANT THE COTTON BACK.
WE’LL TAKE THE COTTON BACK.
WE’LL TAKE BACK EVERYTHING IT TOOK OF US.
Copyright © 2024 by Justice Ameer. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on July 24, 2024, by the Academy of American Poets.