She was stolen from West Africa
At the age of eight
Brought to Boston, Massachusetts
To live as a slave
Purchased by a rich tailor
To serve his wife
John Wheatley gave Fatou
A quite interesting life
They changed her name to Phillis
Gave her chores to do
Taught her reading, writing, geography
And foreign languages too
Phillis learned fast
Faster than the norm
Around 1767
She published her first poem
In 1773
Phillis traveled to Britain
Where the Countess of Huntington
Published poems she’d written
Phillis was a slave girl
And still very young
So no one could believe
What she had done
Her poetry astounded
Nearly everyone
Even the President
George Washington
The Wheatley's died
They left Phillis poor and alone
So she married a grocer
And tried to make a home
Phillis had three children
Who all died very young
Poverty and sickness
Was their main problem
Phillis Wheatley died
In 1784
How could she be so revered
And die alone and poor
Today we honor Phillis Wheatley
For being the very first
Black woman in America
To ever publish verse
Copyrighted 2005 Latorial Faison
from 28 Days of Poetry Celebrating Black History (2006)
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