Underground Railroad (of the Mind)


by Jacquese Armstrong


If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches, keep going. If there’s shouting after you, keep going. Don’t ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going. —Harriet Tubman

i hear her last instructions
trumpet-blaring

keep going
no matter what
but i got hellhounds
on my trail and the blue intrusive rain falls
daggers/each drop
a deadly reminder

(keep moving)

found a murky freedom-filled river to
wash away my scent
fell in the clayed mud dried
on my skin but
i keep runnin

labyrinth times 100
circles running endless
closed latched doors
shouts from open windows plague
an already worry-soaked mind
the wind is not
my friend
i don’t concentrate on trees
i follow deep blue black skies’
Star tellin me
hope
freedom
tomorrow



tomorrow and tomorrow
and tomorrow
should i stop today i’ll be
eaten alive
so i will walk/run/crawl
‘cause i hear the warning in her staccatoed voice
pulling my war torn body

KEEP GOING

the hollowed deepness of night
don’t upset me
‘cause i know
morning will come
i got nowhere to stay

KEEP GOING
angular pain
and diagonal circumference
synapses not communicating
and the laugh/cry thing
is strapped on my back

KEEP GOING

KEEP GOING

KEEP GOING

her pounding voice echoes a refrain in my timid ears

rest…
in the morning
when joy comes

rest
in the morning
when joy comes
rest
in the morning
when joy comes

and then
i hear the last skeleton
words callin out my head

…keep going
if you want a taste of freedom
keep going…

Photo: Shutterstock

Jacquese Armstrong is an emerging writer/poet residing in Central New Jersey. Her poetry has appeared in Black Magnolias Literary Journal, BLACKBERRY: a magazine, Linden Avenue Literary Journal and BlackMentalHealthNet.com.