The Ballad of Bonnie Foreshaw, by Ravi Shankar,
CCSU Prof / Poet in Residence
[a collaboration with Rick Reyes of The Cosmic Jibaros]
Bonnie, Blue Bonnie, you were our clock
We heard you sing with Wally’s voice
Kept time for us and for your sisters
who never really had a choice.
What specks in the system we truly are,
Near, intimate and far-flung human kin.
Let each of us wear the ankle shackles
Feel its cold claw constrict our shin.
Sweeter than clementine oranges,
Compassion, to forgive and to evolve:
A resonant cause for celebration
Yet mourning what we cannot solve.
Bonnie, New Bonnie, with arms out flung
we gather to welcome you back
and to decry a legal system
that falters when the defendant's black.
Let black braids under a black scarf
Cover our eyes when we fall asleep.
Let blackberries blossom in season
To remind us of the promises we keep.
Friends and fellow citizens there’s no one
here but for sheer force of will.
Bonnie’s was indomitable
And will stay with us until, until—
The Ballad of Bonnie Foreshaw
Is a song without an end
Much more music remains be played
For which we pray and stomp and mend.
Cool Justice Editor’s Note: Bonnie Jean Foreshaw walked on free land and into the arms of her family and friends Friday morning, Nov. 15, 2013.
Belated Morsel of Justice
For Jacked-Up Charges,
Tainted Testimony
Engineered by Corrupt Cops & Prosecutors
Who Stepped on Hard-Working Black Woman
To Advance Their Careers
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