December 3rd, 1794
Portuguese ship leaving the coast of Mozambique
7,000-mile voyage to Maranhão, Brazil.
Names, faces, jobs, talents, goals, skills, ideas, hobbies, friends, families, hopes, dreams
...now slaves
loaded like cattle and sold like chattel
to live, work and die in an unknown land.
The São José.
Buffeted by strong winds, the ship
the São José
rounded the treacherous Cape of Good Hope
and came apart violently on two reefs.
Storms reduced White sailor and Black slave
to mere mortal men
clawing at turbulent, blue water
desperate not to drown.
Only half of them survived the shipwreck that day.
And there, within two days, they were sold again.
So this is for you, the slaves of the São José
who saw through salt-stung eyes
the rocks that chewed through man and ship
the struggle of arms too weary to tread water
and brothers, whether through blood and bondage
sink and flail to an ocean’s grave
but you survived—for better or for worse—
and washed upon the shore.
To see the sun rise
on dark brown wood and dark brown bodies
all floating lifelessly on the face of the sea.
This is for you, the slaves of the São José.
Even with nothing left to lose and nothing known to live for
something pumped your chest for one more heartbeat
pushed your arm through one more wave
pried your mouth open for one more gulp
of salty, raging air.
Something that whispers
when the finality of death
and the waves lapping greedily at your face
are more choking, more haunting
than the slavery that lies before you.
Something that sings
from the lips of faceless descendants
who see you in their mirror
in dark brown skin that defied a ravenous sea
reminding them of the crazed resilience
the desperation
the salt-stung eyes and the broken ship
the children ripped from their parents’ arms
the homes ransacked and friendships betrayed
the chilling ache of a last embrace
the fear of strange lands and no return
the whip-cracked backs and the bodies beaten
the despair of being owned
and, despite all of that
still swam
still fought
and still carried on to shore.