oh my america. . .
do you not hear?

have you been so absorb'd in
matters of the self that you
forget the mother who bore your sin?

and many a sin they be?

Calypso could have turn'd her wrath
upon you, but instead she turn'd stomachs
inside out, and contents of bile and sorrow
were one with the sea of what was anyting except
tranquility. . .

it was a queen's name that she bore,
this sister ship of blind ambition
that lost everything, but left us a lesson

oh my, america,
do you not hear?

wailings
screams,
howlings
torture that remains with us still. . .

we call it terror when it is wrapp'd up
in a turban...when it calls God by
another name... not by the same
as we have been taught on this side
of congenial congressional comfort.

but do you hear me,
do you feel me,
and do you test the weights
of the wrists of the bars of
old ignorance that to this day
tell us to not vote our conscience
(which is difficult to do when
people have no conscience left)
but do you smell it,
do you taste it,
do you sweat, wipe, discard and
forget her...oh please do not
forget HER....for her name is
HENRIETTA--ring your  bell
HENRIETTA--ring your bell
HENRIETTA--RINGS. . . finally.

to some she was a beauty
but to others she was a sea hag
bearing disease, distress, dishonor
and ironically, Neptune didn't even
want to keep her filth in the beauty
of his depths...the Triangle was
no match for the pain she inflict'd
on generations that to this day
bear the shadow of influence
in every decision past and present,

splinters of bigotry soak'd in brine and vinegar
are lodg'd in our eyes...products from broken planks of
pathetic politics...she represent'd the whore
of global greed and her babes she bore
were stolen from the  paradise of Eden.

and she never got the chance to say...
"I am sorry"....

So now we together bemoan  the waves of the passage:

Speak my name and let me have my peace.
Speak! Speak! Speak! and be moved by swollen souls of the deep.

Parler en mon nom et me faire ma paix.
Parler!  Parler! Parler! et être ému par un gonflement des âmes de la profondeur.

rest in peace, once noble Henrietta.

 © 2008 by cynth'ya lewis reed
all rights reserv'd  

Quote from the link below"
Now the scant remains of the ship and all the bits and pieces found at the site took on a real life and meaning. Now, with an actual name and date, documents could be searched that would tell of the ship's original size and shape, her owners and crew, her cargo, and her voyage to New Calabar on the African Coast, from which she transported Igbo captives to Jamaica, before meeting her end in a storm as she turned homeward through the Florida Strait in 1701.

In 1993, as Moore's research continued apace and the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society meticulously assembled and prepared the artifacts from the site for this touring exhibition, the Henrietta Marie made her true entry into the national (and international) consciousness. The occasion was the ceremonial placement of an underwater plaque and monument at the wreck site by the National Association of Black Scuba Divers (NABS), the culmination of a formidable organizing and fundraising effort yielding valuable alliances, international news coverage, numerous articles and commentaries, at least two books and several film projects.

The Henrietta Marie symbolizes in many ways the beginning of America's long-awaited coming to terms with a national trauma, an invitation for our collective healing to proceed. Her sparse remains and history-laden artifacts confront us squarely with the tangible evidence of a past which can be neither changed nor denied. But from such a confrontation comes knowledge, and with knowledge comes the power to shape our present and future so as not to repeat the errors and misdeeds of our past. Though her mission was born of greed and driven by the dark forces of corruption, ignorance and fear, the Henrietta Marie has reemerged in our time as a beacon of hope. Hers is a story that must be told.

 (Bonus--sharing something I pray helps you in your life, as well as your day.) "Dealing With People Who Drive You Crazy"