Triangle Park mural by Molly Must (2018), Asheville, NC . Featured poem entitled "My Backyard" by Terry a O'Neal.
in my backyard
green grass grows
and flowers bloom in spring
and little black girls sing
freedom ring…freedom ring…
in my backyard
tip toe to full blown
the mind’s eye wanders
to places unknown
and little black girls sing
freedom ring…freedom ring…
in my backyard
fluffy dandelions blow
linger in the air
then fall like snow
and little black girls sing
freedom ring…freedom ring…
in my backyard
weeds sprout year ‘round
golden strands sway like hips
to the Moroccan drum sound
and little black girls sing
freedom ring…freedom ring…
in my backyard
long thorns shoot
from berry bushes closing in
with poison at the root
and little black girls sing
freedom ring…freedom ring…
in my backyard
stretching tall i stand
in search of the promise land
(i peek through cracks; stare through holes
beyond the fence where nobody knows i exist)
and little black girls sing
freedom ring…freedom ring…
in my backyard
shines the sun
after five nights of pouring rain
the day anew begun
and little black girls sing.