Author: ~Keith Alan Hamilton~ (~KAH~)

are we not all

20150517_151942

as I stand at a point
on the Slave Trail
where another
historical maker
was located
I see
the Shockoe Bottom
area of Richmond
on the other side
of the James River
if your eye follows
the line of the I-95 bridge
right over the tip of
Mayo Island
~   you arrive at a place
in the city
that the slaves
were once taken
to be sold
whipped at the market   ~
put in Lumpkin’s Jail   ~
hung from the gallows
and buried
in the Upper Shockoe Valley
later to be called
the African Ancestral
Burial Ground

now on this marker
there is
a historic emblem
with the inscription
“AM I NOT A MAN
AND A BROTHER?”
powerful words
that did challenge
the very fabric
of slavery in America
~   quoting the English potter
Josiah Wedgwood …..

…..   words that made
my mind swiftly flow
like the current
back down the river
towards the Chesapeake Bay
~   my memory
calmly running into
the Elizabeth River
then the Albemarle
and Chesapeake Canal
the spot
this artist
took a snapshot
of his muse and hero
RLF
~    while she was taking
a snapshot
of this place
with a canal lock
next to the Great Bridge
where a battle happened
in 1775
and the marker
eludes to the enslaved
that participated there
the Ethiopian regiment
(not really Ethiopian
but African Americans)
~   who were offered freedom
by the British
for their loyalty
if they fought against
the “colonial rebels”
who were fighting for
the land of the free
oh how
my thoughts overflow
with the irony
of the situation ….

the land of the free
indeed …..  is the right ideal
to bring to fruition
regardless
of the color of our skin
sisters and brothers
women and men
co-existing together
spiritually and physically
interconnected by the symbolic
waters of life
whether by sea or river
~   are we not all
a part of
THE HUMAN RACE    ~
I ask …..
while standing
in remembrance of the past
at this historical marker
along the Slave Trail

peace out

Image & Words by    ~Keith Alan Hamilton~

This Image with Words will be a part of my Slavery in America Image with Words Collection now exhibited in The Urban Individualist Artist Collective, Gallery #219 at Art Works In Richmond, VA.

visual empathy

pic

at the beginning of
the Slave Trial
at the historical marker
I stand there and ponder
through visual empathy
what it may have been like
if I was in the shoes
of a slave
~   putting
a foot on
not only dry land
but unfamiliar ground …..
after spending much time
~   traveling
an unfriendly Atlantic
to enter the mouth
of the Chesapeake Bay
then took up a river
called James
to the Manchester Docks
Ancarrow’s Landing
near Richmond

~   while deep
in contemplative
thought
my muse RLF
talks to the locals
about the type of fish
that’s caught at this spot
on the bank of the river   ~

instead of going to New Orleans
those that departed the boat here
treated like livestock
~    flesh and blood beings
of THE HUMAN RACE
just a different skin color
were taken along the water
until crossing over
to the other side
where the horrors of being sold
at the auction houses in Richmond
inhumanly awaited them
(300,000 HUMANS they say
in Richmond ~ during
this seemingly
unfathomable period
in American history)

I ain’t gonna
reiterate the historical
record on the marker
about the Trans-Atlantic
Slave Trade to America

go to the beginning
of the Slave Trial
and read
experience the moment
for yourself
like me
stand there and ponder
through visual empathy
what it may have been like
if you were in the shoes
of a slave
~    putting
a foot on
not only dry land
but unfamiliar ground …..
share your feelings
and thoughts with others
ask them to go there
and experience it
for themselves
let the healing
through the power of empathy
freely flow about the land
so such a thing
as slave trade
never happens again
to beings a part of
THE HUMAN RACE
of a different skin color

then afterwards
like my muse RLF
take the time
and talk to
the locals
about fishing
along the river bank
at the Manchester Docks

peace out

Image & Words by   ~Keith Alan Hamilton~

This Image with Words will be a part of my Slavery in America Image with Words Collection now exhibited in The Urban Individualist Artist Collective, Gallery #219 at Art Works In Richmond, VA.

the “Nut” ~   the Virginia Diner

virginia

This poem is dedicated to one of my dearest childhood friends James Lee Hargreaves (Jimmy) who passed away from cancer a few short years ago. I will forever love you brother……

while traveling down 460
on our way from Chesapeake
to Richmond
at the town of Wakefield
my muse RLF and I
stopped for brunch
at a place our mutual
childhood friend Jimmy
used to pick up
cans of peanuts
for his clients
~   the Virginia Diner
where its outdoor sign
implies things like …..
as far as the peanut goes
in the context of the world
this is the Capital
~   having this nutshell legend
~   on their brochure
when it comes to the
so-called “Nut”
they are number one
and in Virginia
the diner is  …..
…..   synonymous with
the finest of peanuts

hmmm…..
synonymous with   ~   I say
and in no way
out of disrespect
for the rich history of
the lovely Virginia Diner

the history of the “Nut”
technically a legume
may we not forget
or revert back to ….
…..   its past history
synonymous with
the slave trade
brought to America by slaves
grown in their gardens
and mainly eaten by them
unless hungry
confederate soldiers
were left no choice
but to eat goober peas
of course a song
would be written
about their exploits
well ….
this lowly “Nut”
like the soldier
would get its time
under the sun
undergo refinement   ~
become thought of
as more useful
and grow in its popularity
as the peanut
helped along its journey
ironically
by a former slave
George Washington Carver

all synonymous with
my muse RLF and I
stopping for brunch
at a place our mutual
childhood friend Jimmy
used to pick up
cans of peanuts
for his clients

~   the Virginia Diner

peace out

Image & Words by    ~Keith Alan Hamilton~

This Image with Words will be a part of my Slavery in America Image with Words Collection now exhibited in The Urban Individualist Artist Collective, Gallery #219 at Art Works In Richmond, VA.

Dear US Soldier ~ THANK YOU

Dear US Soldier
since the creation
of our nation
THANK YOU
for your service
especially
when the ultimate
sacrifice
is given
the loss of your life
for freedom
that ideal flowing
within the spirit of liberty
I will never forget you
as long as I breathe
and may my words
of gratefulness
be preserved
through the annuls
of eternity

I pray for a time of
everlasting peace
where the overall
well-being
of humanity
has improved so much
your service
is no longer needed
you then
mother and father
would get to spend
those precious moments
with daughter and son
to be cherished
for a lifetime

peace out world

Dear US Soldier  ~  THANK YOU
we remember and honor you
on Memorial Day

Words by   ~Keith Alan Hamilton~

the season of summer ~ MTS

Flash of Genius

This poem is dedicated to the author of Leaving the Hall Light On, Madeline Sharples.  She is one of my closest and dearest friends on planet earth.  My hero !  I love her so……

summer brings to mind
fun in the sun
and vacation
~    sittin’
on the deck
with martini in hand
~    cookin’
on the grill
~    hangin’
with friends
and neighbors
~    nuttin’
wrong with that I say
but for me
this year
I’ll be having fun
on June 27th
~   kickin’
off
the summer season
~    walkin’
16 plus miles
the event
Out of the Darkness
Overnight walk in Boston
with one of my heroes
in life
author
Madeline Sharples
who wrote a memoir with poems
Leaving the Hall Light On
to preserve the memory
of her son Paul
who had bipolar disorder
and committed suicide
how she and her family
managed to live on
afterwards

as I said
~    doin’
something like that
is fun
for me
in mind and body
and spiritually refreshing
to the soul
truly a break from it all
a vacation
of the highest order
selfless service
the act of
~    givin’
way more than just
~    takin’
from the experience
of life
~   durin’
the season of summer

peace out

Words by    ~Keith Alan Hamilton~

This poem will be a part of the June edition that’s a collaboration by the 2015 Poetry Posse  – The Year of the Poet II published by Inner Child Press.   Buy your monthly copy Here: http://www.innerchildpress.com/the-year-of-the-poet.php

the why ~ for all this living

on summer vacation
first week of September
the highlands
of Cape Breton
sung sweetly
to me
as if
given an angelic air
according to the wind
driven on its course
over hill and dale
~   accompanied
~   harmoniously
from the rush of sea
beating
ever so steadily
upon the ragged shore
sculptured in rocks
stenciled
with weathered
lines of character
where water and land
are roofed with
the veil of sky
not only home to
~   the cloud
~   the sun
~   the moon
but   ~    the bald eagle
neither one nor two
the many
swooping
majestically about
all the while below
the moose walks
and runs
with beige or gray
covered legs
along the zigzag path
of rugged terrain
and too
under
the same shadow
of the eagle’s wing
right off
the best kept secret
on the Cabot Trail
Meat Cove
~   the whale
breaching together   ~   freely
in synchronized swimming
purely   ~   unequivocally
breathtaking …..

~   for if I knew
the day and time
my end would come
this is where
this place
I would sit
upon the ground
on the hill
above that cove
with love one in arm
I would
without fear
face northwest
to peer across
the Gulf of St. Lawrence

and whisper goodbye

I’d patiently
and peacefully
wait in silence
for my maker
accompanied by
the angel of death

it would be then
with poise
I would ask the creator

the why
~    for all this living

peace out

Words by    ~Keith Alan Hamilton~

summer breeze ~ CAM

This poem is dedicated to my first love as a teenager, CAM.   The many love poems I wrote to her, helped me as an adult to appreciate and comprehend the power of the many female muses that have influenced my creativity as an artist.   Peace and love CAM.

I dream of a world
full of peace
peace can be real
right   ~
’cause like the air
~   flowing through
my lungs
I’ve felt
and still remember peace
its presence
as a teenager
in the afternoon
while laying
on my bed
daydreaming

~    sometimes
about my first love
CAM
who had moved away
from Freeland
to Zilwaukee
she inspired me to write
many love poems
later to help me
appreciate and comprehend
the power
of the many
female muses
that have
influenced my creativity
as an artist    ~

I’d hear
the chimes clanging
out in the yard
from the summer breeze …..
….    blowing
through the window
screen  …..
yes
peace
momentarily
comforted me
made me feel at ease
similar
to the feeling you get
on a summer vacation
after the martini
sets in for the night
thank you
Schmidt & Regine
Seals & Crofts
for Summer Breeze
and to the essence
of breeze
through a window   ~
~    the hope for peace
it gives
and too
the sweet memories
of love

peace out

Words by    ~Keith Alan Hamilton~

This poem will be a part of the June edition that’s a collaboration by the 2015 Poetry Posse  – The Year of the Poet II published by Inner Child Press.   Buy your monthly copy Here: http://www.innerchildpress.com/the-year-of-the-poet.php