Slavery in America Image with Words Collection ~ Virginia Edition

laid to rest

as I drive up to the gate
of the Mt. Calvary
Cemetery Complex
housing the remains
of only African Americans
my mind ~ body
and spirit
overflow with emotion
partly ’cause
my muse RLF
and regular companion
while visiting the places
to be transformed into art
for the Slavery in America
Image with Words Collection
– Virginia Edition
is not with me today
she has MS
and it exhausts her so much ….
Portsmouth
where this complex is located
is the place of her birth
the sharing
of her family history
and life experiences
from here to the cemetery
in Deep Creek
and the one
along The Slave Trail
in Richmond
has inspired me to create
this kind of art
and ignite
my social activist spirit ~
~ using art
in such a way
to initiate change
to unearth metaphorically
and bring to light
once again
the history and memory
of lives that have passed
buried in this solemn ground
and the others
aforementioned
Ida Barbour
rests here
lived in Lincolnsville
the first
free Black section in Portsmouth
was a teacher
and started a day care center
like her
I can only hope my art
this collection
will inspire in others
the want to learn
to accept
to heal
humanly grow
and see
the wisdom to preserve
uncover
not only the memory
of this Holy Ground
but about the history
of the Slave Trade in America
why ~ you may ask
’cause I see only
one race
THE HUMAN RACE
We the people
of planet earth
one kind
one species
HUMAN BEINGS
that’s it
~ coming in
all types of color
and flavor
nationality
ethnicity
culture
and belief

no matter where
a HUMAN is laid to rest

Image & Words by ~Keith Alan Hamilton~

Dedicated to my Word Spoken Artist Mentor William Washington.

Also dedicated to the preservation of African-American artifacts in the areas of Shockoe Bottom, Deep Creek & the burial grounds of Portsmouth, VA. May this bring remembrance, acceptance, healing and the cooperative progression of THE HUMAN RACE.

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

freely breathe

near the Dismal Swamp Canal
hand dug by slaves
a tiny graveyard
located in a small area
called Deep Creek
behind a trailer park
the Little Branch Trail Cemetery
better known as …..
the Barnes-Culpepper
Family Cemetery
Barnes was born in Pennsylvania
and married a Culpepper
named Susie
who both were friends
with my muse RLF’s
mother’s parents
they too are buried there
behind the Barnes
and next to the man
noted on his head stone
to had fired the first shot
in World War I from a ship
even though
the Culpepper family in the past
did own slaves ~
James Henry Culpepper
buried there
~ his father’s father
is listed in the census
as the owner of slaves
no one …. as far as my research
buried in this graveyard
had slaves
those buried there
were decent and hardworking people
~ however
this is a place
where history is revealed
can freely breathe out
its remembrance
from its head stones
the story beneath Culpepper Landing
life blossoming into
present day community
on Robert Frost Rd
without restriction
no bondage to chains and enslavement
concealed and imprisoned
buried under pavement for years
like the African Ancestral
Burial Ground
next to Lumpkin’s Jail for slaves
a holy and sacred ground
by the First African Baptist Church
the gathering point
for African-Americans
while enduring slavery
in Richmond
prior to the Civil War
where the memory of those
entombed there
that “24 year old blacksmith
named Gabriel
aroused with
the spiritual vision
that in the eyes
of the creator
all people
despite color of skin
are a part of
The Human Race
equal with
every kind of
man and woman”
such vision
is now coming to light
to freely breathe
nurture enlightenment
and acceptance
for past transgressions
by all concerned
then lead to healing
and cooperative progression
beneficial to all the people
of THE HUMAN RACE
after he was hung
so long ago at the gallows
along what is now known
as the Slave Trail ~

peace out

Image & Words by ~Keith Alan Hamilton~

Dedicated to the preservation of African-American artifacts in the areas of Shockoe Bottom, Deep Creek & the burial grounds of Portsmouth, VA. May this bring remembrance, acceptance, healing and the cooperative progression of THE HUMAN RACE.

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

Welcome to the Story-line

as an artist …..
with a Smartphone camera
who loves to preserve
snapshots
of every day things
in time
later to be created
into this image with words
to tell a little story
that’s part of a larger story
a collective story
however
not the whole story
or “the story”
but rather
a sort of WELCOME
to a story of stories
that wets the appetite
just enough
to inspire
those of THE HUMAN RACE
with its facets of color
to discover
then further explore
and uncover
the full story-line
or even some
underground legacy
for themselves . ….
….. shouldn’t that be
the noble intent
behind STORYTELLING ~
empathic enlightenment
intelligent progression
~ healing and self-growth
for example
in this case
my Slavery in America
Image with Words Collection
~ Virginia Edition
exhibited in The Urban
Individualist Artist Collective
a gallery at Art Works
in Richmond, VA
started by my dear friend
and fellow artist
Helene Ruiz ~
how fitting then
this snapshot
of a building
more than ONE STORY
with the words painted
on its side
WELCOME TO SHOCKOE BOTTOM
an area with an underground legacy
layers …… story after story
of artifacts
preserved in moist soil
under pavement
embedded with the stories
of slave trade
like the story of Goodwin’s jail
that held a slave named
Solomon Northrup
stories of slavery
which flow past
this building’s welcome
back down the James River
to the storied waters
of Deep Creek
a canal with a lock
and a swamp
a part of the Underground Railroad
stories with a street
called Moses Grandy ~ a slave
stories of my muse RLF’s family
buried in the Barnes
Culpepper family cemetery

Slave Trade in America
~ waiting for THE HUMAN RACE
with its facets of color
to discover
then further explore
and uncover
the full story-line
or even some
underground legacy
for themselves . ….
undergo empathic enlightenment
intelligent progression
~ healing and self-growth

Image & Words by ~Keith Alan Hamilton~
Dedicated to the preservation of artifacts
at Shockoe Bottom and Deep Creek… its story-line

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.

are we not all

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

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

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.

snapshot in time

This story poem is dedicated to my muse RLF and her mother Ginny.

the convenience
modern technology
gives …..
a simple act
the touch of a finger
on the screen
of a Smartphone camera
allows for
a measure of
FREEDOM ~
spontaneity and ease
to the instantaneously
inspired
creative act …..
….. handily
and readily
a snapshot
can be taken
quickly preserving
a moment in time
as when
this artist
took a snapshot
of his muse and hero
RLF
~ while she was taking
a snapshot
of this place
with a canal lock
historically
a part of the American fight
for FREEDOM
and EQUALITY for all
ideals penned by Jefferson
in that document
called the Declaration
of Independence ~
an area of water …..
….. running through
solemn ground
where the first
Revolutionary War
land battle
on Virginia soil
at Great Bridge
along the Albemarle
and Chesapeake Canal
did occur
however
when it comes
to the ideals
of FREEDOM & EQUALITY
in America
ironically
as it all worked out
in the annuls of time
this canal
dug with
the modern technology
of that era
nine steam dredges
on floating platforms
since its construction
has overshadowed
in usefulness
an earlier constructed
yet interconnected
by way of
the Elizabeth River
the Dismal Swamp Canal
that was dug by
human slaves
not afforded
to partake of the ideals
of FREEDOM & EQUALITY ~
~ that canal too has a lock
in Deep Creek
where this artist’s
muse and hero
RLF and her
mother’s side
of the family are from ……
…… in this artist’s eyes
as far as a snapshot in time
~ preserving remembrance
the Dismal Swamp Canal
was far more useful
in the American fight
for FREEDOM
and EQUALITY for all
than the other
‘cause it was used as part
of the Underground Railroad
and the dismal swamp
it runs through
was a sanctuary
for runaway slaves
who sought
their FREEDOM
and EQUALITY

peace out

Image & Words by ~Keith Alan Hamilton~

Check out my Slavery in America Image with Words Collection a part of the Images with Words Series. Buy 8×10 prints. Soon to be exhibited in The Urban Individualist Artist Collective at Art Works In Richmond, VA
http://www.artworksrichmond.com/HeleneRuiz.htm

Slavery in America Image with Words Collection ~ Virginia Edition

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snapshot in time

Deep Creek to Albemarle Sound

the "Nut" ~ Virginia Diner

blacksmith named Gabriel

unspeakable acts

visual empathy

are we not all

Welcome to the Story-line

freely breathe

laid to rest

“As an artist, my Image with Words creations, my word imagery seems to undergo this heighten process of poetic emergence.”

Artistic Saying by ~Keith Alan Hamilton~

~Peace Out~ Next: Books or Nature~IQ.com

blacksmith named Gabriel

Dedicated to my sister and art mentor Helene Ruiz .. Peace out humanity !

I’m this artist
who likes to tell a story
of words with an image
captured in time
~ today with
Smartphone in hand
I begin my
photographic journey
along the Slave Trail
in Richmond
Virginia
a somber place
representative of
cruel and hard endings
for some …..
of us human beings
hung from
the once was
hillside gallows
for instance
a 24 year old blacksmith
named Gabriel
aroused with
the spiritual vision
that in the eyes
of the creator
all people
despite color of skin
are a part of
The Human Race
equal with
every kind of
man and woman
~ however
such a righteous revelation
to evolve The Human Race
beyond the defining of race
by skin color
was put to death
due to ignorance
and ill perceived
sanctimoniousness
‘cause some
of a certain skin color
blinded by the trade
of slavery
were not yet
so enlightened
about the benevolent ways
of God Almighty
for all ~

but to the unmindful
passerby
~ driving down
Broad Street
over a bridge
this place appears to be
a green grass
park like lawn
next to some
railroad tracks
not long ago
a paved over parking lot
~ sleepily awaiting
a full resurrection
of remembrance …. for
all those buried there
now a parcel of land
with a shrine
known as
the Negro Burial Ground
but more ethnically
named
the African Ancestral
Burial Ground ~

like the blacksmith
named Gabriel
this experience
emerges forth
a spiritual vision
within me
this everyday
human being
no better than anyone else
where the color of …..
a person’s skin
shines on the beauty
and rich character
of their ethnicity
and yet
in the light of ~
equality for all
skin color does not
determine race
‘cause the human
belongs to only one race
The Human Race
if not ….
then resurrect
the Richmond gallows
and hang me on the hillside
it would be an honor
to be buried
next to my fellow
human beings
especially
that blacksmith
named Gabriel

peace out

Image & Words by ~Keith Alan Hamilton~

This story poem will be a part of the May 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

unspeakable acts

Dedicated to my brother “Just Bill“….. Peace out humanity !

oh seemingly quaint ~ charming
and refined
Richmond
the once was
capital
of the
Confederacy
I this day
leisurely
stroll along
the streets
of the historic
Shockoe Bottom …….
then suddenly
as I approach
the 17th Street
Farmers’ Market
and see
that big clock just ahead
on the Main Street Station
my empathic sensitivity
heightens
its perceptivity
like a sonar ….. picking up
an underwater frequency
I have these strong
and persistent ~ pulsating
vibes
come over me
some sort of
collective conscious
archetype …..
…… a ghost in the machine
I shiver and tremble
as if possessed by a demon
information ~ memories
flow through my body
the good with the bad
well some
in my humble opinion
purely evil
stored and preserved
forever
within the spirit
of energy/matter ~ according
to my thought process
within reflective consciousness
anyhow…..
…… there is here to me
this very strong sense
of emotional turmoil
a felt sense
about a restless
and shameful revelry
not so long ago ….. at least
not in the creator of all things
kind of time
I perceive today
this sanctimonious mob
stirred up by
value judgments
tainted with the poison
of bias
associated with
self- elevation
folk of a certain skin color
thinkin’
from the perspective
of a prehistoric mindset
they are favored
on high
over those of a different
skin color
others of THE HUMAN RACE
they whipped them in public
as if not human
at this place
where the 17th Street
Farmers’ Market
now is….
traded for ownership
fellow human beings
into slavery
there was even
a professional ‘Whipper’
or known as a slave breaker
to beat them
right here
I still smell the smoke
of their skin
from the lash
that’s so ~ so fucked up ……..
as a human
I wanted to puke
my guts out
from remorse
for being born of white skin
then as I walked on by….
…… my senses
came back to me
I ain’t got no issue
never have had
with a sister or brother
of the humankind
those of another skin color
however
like the story
of the Holocaust
or that of the First Nations
this story needs to be told
again and again
so members of
THE HUMAN RACE
won’t continue
to repeat
on others
such unspeakable acts
not acceptable
within
the intelligently progressive
ideals
of the human-kind

peace out

Image & Words by ~Keith Alan Hamilton~