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.