Sparrow

My attempt at Real Poetic's Secret Writer Challenge, you can find it here if you would like to participate:

The sun was setting high in the molasses sky, I caressed the curve of my belly. The scar on my arm from the beating by Hogeboom burned like an insignia; the pain pulsating through my body. She kicked right then. Hard in the stomach. In that moment, I understood that she felt it too. Lord, long before her eyes could see she was already blinded. I don’t know if it was the kick or the pain that made me do it but it struck me hard like a hammer, “Her life ain’t be made for no manacles”.

The Ashley’s were a little softer on me on account of my condition, so in the evenings I was afforded resting time. But there weren’t no resting. Seemed to me that if you understood what dem symbols meant, you had half a shot at something. And my girl was gonna damn well have half a shot at something. Best I got to give her in this world.

Years later, Little Bett was in the kitchen, doing nothing of nothing that I could see and Miss Ashley took a swipe at her with a hot iron. She got me instead. But the thing is, at the same time the paper fell off'a the table.

‘The Sheffield Declaration’ It read.

I snuck back later when things had calmed some:

“Mankind in a state of nature are equal, free, and independent of each other, and have a right to the undisturbed enjoyment of their lives, their liberty and property.”

I scoffed. What a pile of hooey. Got me to thinking though.

Theodore Sedgwick, they mentioned in the paper. I knew right there and then in the candlelight of that hell hole kitchen what I was gonna do. And I was damn sure hell taking Brom and little Bett with me. I stole the pen and paper right out of Master Ashley’s bureau.

Master Sedgwick, bless his soul, ripped them right a part in that courthouse. I’d never seen nothing like it in my life. All eyes on me and Brom as he spoke. Test case, he said we were. But I didn’t care. I knew as well as I knew the setting sun. We was on the right side of the law.

I walked in there that day Mum Bett and I walked right on out Elizabeth Freeman. Free as the swallows singin' in the mornin'.

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Scrawlers Notes;

Based on a true story. You can read more about Elizabeth Freeman here: