Part One
In the black of night
With nothing but a food sack
On my back
I walked bare feet
Heart racing desperately
Through the woods I went
In the black of the night
Telling myself all would be alright.
It wasn’t long before
I could hear heavy boots
Tramping close behind me.
But I moved on towards my destiny
Afraid to turn around
Feet bleeding
With each step I prayed
“Lord don’t Let them get me?”
As my eyes adjusted to the dark of
The night like an amazing animal
I now could see
Still afraid to look behind me.
In the dark of that long ago night
My heart pound louder and louder
The closer the foot stomping came near me.
They said it would be impossible
A single woman like me
To escape to freedom
They put fear in my heart but I knew
The God I served and Love
Would not fail me.
I had to believe.
I had to keep seeing myself free
Away from that old plantation
I had to see myself without pain.
I had to believe that God intended for me
To be free as the white ms that I took care of
I had to believe that my God loved me and was
Not punishing me.
My God had not placed me there
That it was a trick of the devil
And so I moved on.
Praying as I saw myself running free
Laughing in the wind
Free of this horrible place
As the night air hit my face
Moving in the dark trying to follow
Samples planted during the day
I was almost sure the small animals
Would have taken them away
So far I knew I was going the right way
But the stomping was so close behind me.
The noise got louder as I moved alone
Trying to escape from slavery and my pursuers.
I knew that only death or pain would await me,
If my pursuers captured me.
Moving on, I prayed as I went
“Lord don't allow them to catch up with me?”.
In the dark of the night in my bare feet
Stepping on wood branches and rocks
My feet pained as blood oozed out
Baring the pain I moved on.
I couldn't afford to give in to my jailer
While I had the chance to escape
Into the wilderness,
Here, out here in captivity.
I had a chance to be free
A chance to know freedom
A chance to live
I couldn’t turn back
I wouldn’t turn back
“Lord before I go back let them kill me.”
I promised myself and the Lord if he gave me
A chance I'd never come back.
Never again would they imprison me.
From the perspective of a rabbit,
And other woodland animals,
I moved on.
Like a small wounded animal
I was being hunted down.
As the stomping grew louder
Fear took control of my soul,
But I couldn't stop, not now.
I knew without a doubt
The Opportunity would never knock again.
If my pursuer captured me
And so I moved on barefooted, bleeding
Tied and scared.
If I stopped now by morning I could be dead
Or wish I was.
I tried to elude the heavy stomping on my trail
Fear of being captured
Fear of being returned
Back to that living hell
Was more than I could bare
I didn’t dare stop
I didn’t dare look back.
Out of my head now I moved on
Tied and bloody, listening for the sound of
Those heavy foot stomping
But none I could hear.
Had I eluded them?
Maybe my ears was tricking me
Tied and out of breath,
I could go no farther
I stopped, turned around and dropped
To the ground for I could no longer
Hear my pursuers approaching me
Stretched out on the ground
In the black of the night
I first saw a light and I knew
My pursuer had captured me
“God, Father God please don’t let them
Take me.
I can’t go back
I’d rather die”
Jumping up from the ground with all
The strength I had left I began to swing
“I ain’t going back”
“Kill me, you folks are gonna
“Have to kill me.”
A voice said stop
“Settle down little ms
We’re from the underground”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing
Had I heard right.
I had reached a place of safety
With the Underground Railroad?
In the mid of the night,
With the stars and the moon shining bright
Following the signs of animals,
God answered my prayer allowing me to go
Barefooted, bloody, beautiful and black
encamping His protecting angels around me
I was able to escape and survive
Unto the underground rail road.
I knew now without a doubt
There is nothing impossible with God
If we but believe
We can receive
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