Ted Adams Shares His Passion for Writing Poetry During Black History Month

“UNSUNG”

I am a child of the early movements,

A student of the NAACP.

A resistant to segregation,

But most will not remember me.

Nine months before the coming of Ms. Parks,

I too sat on the bus.

I refused to give up my seat which left a mark,

Something history rarely discussed.

At the age of 15 this was part of my calling,

This was a way for me to take a stand.

To be commanded to move, how appalling,

I refused to rise to this demand.

I was taken off the bus and charged in juvenile court,

Treated like dirt, seen as grunge.

My God given rights they tried to extort,

And it took 66 years to get that expunged.

Why is my name anonymous in most households,

And not spoken of in black history.

Many facets purposefully untold,

Give me a minute to enlighten thee.

I was a black teenager who’s skin was not fair,

And therefore I didn’t look appealing.

I was considered someone that didn’t have “good hair”,

Maybe my image was of one not okay with kneeling.

I did not fit the image our leaders had in mind,

Rosa Parks was the people’s face chosen.

Regardless of whether this was by design,

I exist and I am Claudette Colvin.

Theodore Adams©2021 Poetry

“When You See Me”

Don’t be misled by the stories you have been fed,

Or the images portrayed by the media.

I am not a thug in a police mug,

And I can’t be defined by an encyclopedia.

I am not the character depicted in Blaxploitation,

Don’t you see the endless depth to my foundation?

I am an endangered species,

Being wiped away like feces.

Even from a body cam,

You’ve yet to see who I am.

Breonna Taylor, Amir Locke,

No knock, guns cocked, our freedom still blocked.

Does qualified immunity,

Means it’s okay to shoot me?

Does the 2^nd amendment,

Include me and my descendants?

The right to bear arms,

But who really gets harmed?

It’s amazing the power of the paper,

It seems to only benefit it’s creator.

In this race called Life am I structured to be last?

Predetermined by the die already caste?

If you really want to know what I am about,

Start looking at me from the inside out.

I am no more or less than you,

I just need to be seen and heard. Black Lives Matter too!

Theodore Adams©2022 Poetry

“It’s More Than Just A Month”

Our ancestor’s history is America’s as well,

With scars amassed when they were forced to set sail.

You see it’s more than just a month.

We must never forget our blazers who set the trail,

Martin Luther King did it in and out of jail.

You see it’s more than just a month.

Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat,

And Claudette Colvin, the first to perform this feat.

You see it’s more than just a month.

Both of these sisters played an important hand,

By sitting down they were taking a stand.

You see it’s more than just a month.

Who would have thought that a person named Little would earn so much respect,

After dropping his slave name and taking on “X”.

You see it’s more than just a month.

And let’s not forget Fred Hampton, a leader unsung,

Maybe there is some truth to “the good die young”.

You see it’s more than just a month.

Slavery is what drove her from her abode,

Which led Harriet to conduct the Underground Railroad.

You see it’s more than just a month.

These soldiers and others have shown us that in order to create change we must confront,

Because Black History is more than just a month.

It is American History!

Theodore Adams©2020 Poetry