The Shackles of Stolen Souls: Tragedy of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

A haunting reflection on the suffering and resilience of those enslaved during the Transatlantic Slave Trade

This poem explores the brutal reality of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, giving voice to the millions of souls stolen from their homeland and subjected to unimaginable cruelty.

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The Shackles of Stolen Souls

In the heat of the sun, where the palms kissed the shore,

They tore us from home, from the lands we adore,

With chains on our wrists and grief in our hearts,

We sailed toward a nightmare where freedom departs.

The waves beat steady, the ship groaned loud,

Beneath the deck, we wept unbowed,

Cramped in darkness, no sun, no breeze,

Our bodies broken, with no reprieve.

The cries of the children, the groans of the old,

Were lost in the greed of men chasing gold.

But gold is no answer for what was torn,

The life in our veins, the place we were born.

Through storms we travelled, through hell we went,

Our spirits cracked, but would not relent,

Though pain etched deep in every face,

We carried our pride from a distant place.

The shores they promised were not of peace,

But land where the lash and chains never cease,

They sold us like cattle, like dust on the breeze,

Stripped of our language, our right to be free.

But in the dark corners of our soul,

A fire still burned that they couldn’t control,

For though our bodies were bent by the hand,

Our hearts held the memory of our stolen land.

And though they shackled us, thought us less,

They never could kill what we possessed,

The dreams of freedom, the cry of pride,

The hope that no whip could ever divide.

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🔑 Key takeaways:

Remember the stories of those who suffered through history’s darkest chapters.

Let their resilience remind us to fight for justice and equality in every corner of the world.

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