The Sugar Trade
a villanelle
Sugar cane sways in the breeze,
reminding us in waves,
life ebbs and flows like the sea.
*
Anguished pleas from bended knees
resound from bygone days.
Sugar cane sways in the breeze.
*
What of them that toil and bleed,
whom only time will save?
Life ebbs and flows like the sea.
*
What of them that would be free,
of them that hope and pray?
Sugar cane sways in the breeze.
*
Prayers hang from the cotton trees.
Hope sleeps in unmarked graves.
Life ebbs and flows like the sea.
*
For planters, priests, and thieves,
for rebels and for slaves,
sugar cane sways in the breeze.
Life ebbs and flows like the sea.
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[Author's Note: This poem was first published in the chapbook, Beyond the Horizon: Journeys in Poetry and Prose, 2010]
About the Creator
Randy Baker
Poet, author, essayist.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insight
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Comments (1)
Love it!