In a single day and night of misfortune
They crept, leapt, and were swept
Swept aside
Tossed overboard by tormentors wielding whips and chains
Such a tragic refrain
The sounds of shackles, moaning, and death
Proud men, struggling for nourishing breath
Radiant women clutching their infant offspring 
Embraced and connected for one final moment
Before the power of the waves parted them 
They were diseased and unfit
Unsuitable for the market
Fed un-edible sustenance
Scraps, crumbs
Sometimes nothing at all
Salt encrusted air piercing their weakened lungs
Drowning in despair
Gasping for air
The ocean sun beating down on their surface
Scolding their shadowy bodies and souls
Like being drenched by a hot cauldron filled with boiling poison
Some jumped voluntarily 
Unable to cope with the plight of captivity
Seeking the solace of aquatic liberation
Rather than the anguish of the middle passage
They swam as long as muscles and limbs would allow
Until their hearts and spirits capitulated to the limitations of humanity
Others wept
Deeply affected by the sight of brethren descending into the abyss 
They plunged, thousands of units to the depths
Flesh plummeting, souls ascending 
Spirits lively and determined to finally break free
Building a new civilization
Devoid of hatred and oppression
“One born, one dies, the land increases”
Such is the story of Black Atlantis and all its inhabitants
Discarded chattel 
Assimilated into nature
Proud African royalty
Seemingly forgotten and washed away 
Now the glistening of the ocean as the sun reflects off its face
The beauty ingrained in every molecule of every ocean 
Black Atlantis
The place where kings and queens went to conclude, descend, and rise again.