Black History Poems

This Black History poems blog is another of my contributions for the website

http://www.history-for-kids.com/

It is written from the perspective of a little slave girl in the 1700s living with her father and sister in a slave hut on a cotton plantation in North America

I live in my Pappy's hutMy name is Kizzy ClayMy older sister is ElizaI'm six years old today

My Mammy died of feverEliza's ten, she cares for meI don't know our exact address

But we live in Slavery

Pappy works in Mr John's fieldsPlanting cotton and riceYesterday, he was whippedWhich wasn't very nice

Black History Poems

The overseer is very cruelHis name is Nathaniel BlackMy pappy cannot work todayHe's got deep cuts on his back

Oh, I can see Mr John's little girlHer name is Missy RoseShe lives in the Big HouseAnd wears very nice clean clothes

She's pretty and has white skinHer mother is also deadBut she has two aunts to care for herShe sleeps in a proper bed

Black History Poems

She has a beautiful ponyWhich lives in a stable 6 feet 4It has its own blanketsAnd nice clean straw

Our hut is also 6 feet 4Two families have to shareIts very dark and we sleep on ragsEliza says it isn't fair

Pappy says his Grandpappy's Pappy"Was a chief before coming here

Once proud and free, he was enslavedTo live in chains.....and fear

Black History Poems

All the young strong villagersWere forcefully taken awayCrammed into sailing shipsBound for the USA

Many died on the wayA ship sometimes would sinkOr they died through lack of medicineOr not enough to drink"

Pappy says his Grandpappy's PappyArrived very much aliveHe was a strong healthy 20 year old

He died, broken, at 35

Black History Poems

Pappy says that one dayAll slaves will be freeWe'll get a President who believes in itJust you wait and see

Pappy says he has a dreamThat a King will come one dayAnd they'll listen very carefullyTo all he has to say

He says that he has a dreamThat blacks and whites will live as oneLiving free, in a proper houseJust like Mr John

Black History Poems

He even dreams that maybe

There will come the dayWhen a black man becomes the PresidentOf the USA

Eliza says he's crazyOr that's how it seemsBut she says when life is very hardA man should have his dreams

Black History Poems

One day, perhaps, a little girlWill have a story readBy her Pappy, before she goes to sleepIn her proper bed

But until then, I'll be contentWhat will be, will beNighty night I must goThere's a dream that waits for me

Jon Bratton 2009

Clink the link for more

Black History Poems

This 'black history poems' blog page is copyright jon Bratton 2009

Poems Containing Metaphors, Onomatopoeia, Alliteration, Assonance

If you came here just for examples of onomatopoeiaclick this linkOnomatopoeia Poems

Paula’s hair looks like rats’ tails .

Oh that’s a simileEsther estimated every elevation.

That’s alliteration, clearlyIan’s head is a shed.

Call that a metaphor, my dearAll at once, whoosh, went the wind

Love that alliterative onomatopoeia

Dave is occupied in the wash room.

Euphemism, is what’s been penned

Verily I say, O wet pet

Is an odd ode spoke to a soaked sole friendCould that be assonance just then and can the whole

Epigram, with imagery be acrostic in some waySo that’s all the POETICAL DEVICES , there’s nothing more to say

Jon Bratton 2009

For more, click the link

Poems Containing Metaphors Onomatopoeia Alliteration

The image is from http://www.instantdisplay.co.uk/alliteration.PNG

This 'poems containing Metaphors, Onomatopoeia, Alliteration, Assonance' blog page is copyright Jon Bratton 2009

Boudicca Warrior Queen of the Iceni

Here's another poem I wrote for the new website

http://www.history-for-kids.com/

which compiles (bedtime) stories, written in rhyme, about events in history as a resource not only for parents but for teachers as well

Boudicca Warrior Queen of the Iceni

Tonight’s (Today's) story is about a queenBut not a fragile little flower

In fact a tough brave woman

The first with Girl Power

Britain has produced many warriors

Men who fought to keep Britain free

But here’s the story of Warrior Queen Boudicca,

A famous name in history

She had great intelligence

In the opinion of some

She was tall, fierce faced and harsh voiced

And had red hair, right down to her bum

She wore a large golden necklace,

And multi-coloured tunic, and cloak

She led an uprising of the tribes

Against the Roman folk

Here’s why. Her husband, the KingPromised the Romans half his wealth and landBut when the King diedThings didn’t go quite as planned

Normal Roman practiceRegarding allied kingdoms appliedThe kingdom became the property of RomeWhen the current King died

The Romans took everythingWhen they came one dayTreating nobles as slavesAnd acting in a very brutal way

The Britons were appalledAnd thought the Romans had cheatedAlso Queen Boudicca and her Princess daughtersWere badly mistreatedWhen people behave badlyThat simply isn’t rightAnd the one who feels cheatedIs ready to fight

Queen Boudicca was furious

She had never been angrier

So she created an Iceni Army

Based in East Anglia

The Trinovantes, the neighbouring tribeAlso wanted to get rid

Of the Romans, who must be punished

For the awful thing they did

So they joined forces,Led by the QueenIn, perhaps, the biggest armyThe Britons had ever seen

The Druids in Wales revolted

This made the time right

While the Roman Governor was distracted

Now was the time to fight

Boudicca’s army was successfulWith victories at Colchester town

St Albans and London

Which they completely burnt down

But when the Roman Governor returned

The Britons suffered a huge defeat

Beaten by the professional Roman ArmyAt the Battle of Watling Street

80,000 Britons were killedBoudicca managed to survive

But she took poison so the Romans

Couldn’t capture her alive

She lives on in our memoryA bronze statue can be seenIn London, of brave, bold BoudiccaThe mighty Warrior Queen

Jon Bratton 2009

If you want to read the story as a comic book...I recomment it, click the link

The story of Boudicca

If you want more poems, click the link

Boudicca Warrior Queen of the Iceni which takes you to a poem by William Cowper

or if you're really brave try reading

Alfred Lord Tennyson

And here's another Boudicca poem

©

This 'Boudicca Warrior Queen of the Iceni' blog entry is copyright Jon Bratton 2009.This material is free to use for personal use but may not be lifted in whole or part by website publishers