Juneteenth

Today is Juneteenth
Yay! A public holiday
Now we can forget

Parades and marches
Especially in Texas
How about a t-shirt?

The old slavery days
A questionable legacy
How soon we forget

The seeds of conflict
Uncomfortable memories
Buried in fine print

And if we must pay lip service to unease to save face
Recall that in earlier arrangements, everyone knew their place

Juneteenth, a playlist

A soundtrack for this note (spotify version)

• Slavery days by Burning Spear
• Celebration by Kool & the Gang
• How soon we forget by Colonel Abrams
• Holiday by Madonna
• Life can be so nice by Prince
• I keep forgettin' (every time you're near me) by Michael Mcdonald
• Forget regret by The RH Factor

Bonus beats: Remember the time by Michael Jackson

They played Fight the Power
As if to remind everyone
That the struggle continues

The firemen and city workers dispensed candy
My son had borrowed my hat for easier collection
Before long, his belly was full

The black cowboys would come later
Deftly riding their brown horses
The soundtrack was Maze, Before I Let Go

My daughter's school principal
Was giving out candy
We stopped for the marching band

The grocers touting their flour tortillas
HEB was founded by Charles Butt
On the float, they danced to Cameo's Candy

Concealed carry state
The Central Texas Gun Works
A grim reminder

Oakland meets Texas
Too Short dog: Blow the Whistle
The aunties got loose

The old Cadillacs
The newfangled sound system
Nightmare for the ears

Good competition
Battle of the marching bands
Cell phones were pulled out

The heat of midday
The scent of marijuana
Think about the children

The cowboys arrived
It's hard to be cynical
God bless America

The red, black and green
The colors of memory
In God's own country

Juneteenth 2025

See previously: The Last Holdouts and Bloodbath, South Carolina


File under: culture, observation, perception, race, memory, USA, history, slavery, hatchet job, Buyer's Remorse, poetry, toli

Writing log: June 19, 2025