That Day

 

Oh, the tree’s been gone for a long time,

but the roots, the roots dig deep

and the stain I see makes everything pink.

Oh, the day my mind grew

and my heart stopped.

Oh, when the gale made sense

and I heard the scream of the Black Queen

over the loss of so many breathing diamonds.

 

Everybody has an opinion,

and everyone’s got a hidden violence, oh yes.

My baby in the tree; folks there’s no more to see

and men just smiling feeling fine,

and men thinking they’ve done right,

and men just laughing, but not mine.

Here black ones dying all the time.

 

Oh, I let my momma plate my hair

and I let her pick out my shoes

but when nobody knew

I let that boy do what he do.

He had dreams big enough for two.

 

He was tall and thin with nappy hair

and he walked without a care,

but he told me things I could never believe.

I said, “Boy, stop giving me so much fear.”

 

Oh, I wanted to love and know no better,

Oh, I wanted to live and taste the sun.

But the day came when that tree was all I could see

and now I eat fire and live to die.

I said now I eat fire and live to die.

Hear me— now I eat fire and wish to die.

 

Oh, the tree’s been gone for a long time,

but the roots, the roots dig deep

and the stain I see makes everything pink.

Oh the day my mind grew

and my heart stopped.

Oh, when the gale made sense

and I heard the scream of the Black Queen

over the loss of so many breathing diamonds.

 

And I knew, I knew, yes I finally understood

the fear in my momma’s eyes.

I said I knew, I knew, yes I finally understood

the fear in my momma’s dark eyes,

and why she’d cry and hold me close

and keep calling on ghosts.

Why she’d cry and hold me close

and keep calling on ghosts.

Yes I knew, I knew, I knew.

 

 

Oh, the tree’s been gone for a long time,

but the roots, the roots dig deep

and the stain I see makes everything pink.

Oh, the day my baby was took away

and left me to sing the Black Queen’s scream

and now I live under the tree,

under the shadow of the tee,

I live, I live to die.



 
© Coleen T. Houlihan