Her eyes were emerald green, 
her complexion, light brown
her lips were ruby red, 
her hair a stately crown

The blood of the slave master 
ran through her line
mixed with that of vanquished Kings 
of a forgotten time

In her land of Origin, 
she would have been a Queen
Here in the wilderness of North America, 
her heritage was only a dream

Her mother was black, 
black as coal
Sold to the slave master 
for trinkets of gold

Her father, a white man, 
pale as a ghost
A trader traveling 
from coast to coast

She never knew her brother
who was sold at birth
Her father held on to her, 
knowing what she was worth

A Beauty to behold, stately and bold
In time , she grew tall and curvy
Her father's eye was drawn to her in lust
but fate intervened and he died of scurvy

She was then sold to a sailor 
who lived in New Orleans
There she worked for free as his maid, 
preparing fried fish and turnip greens

Ater a time, the sailor 
vanished at sea
and our lady suddenly 
found her self free

Free to do...What? 
Free to be...Who?

Trapped in a skin, 
neither black nor white
Hers was a constant 
and never ending fight

Blacks didnt trust her:
"She slept with the enemy!".
Whites didnt accept her:
"Nigger ho, blasphemy!".

Born into a world of color 
but colorless
The ignorance of her people
adding to her distress.

Redbone! Beautiful mixture 
of black and white
Forgive us, who were ignorant 
of your plight

Too late, we acknowledge 
who you truly are
You are our Soul Sister! 
You are our Shining Star!

********

"Redbone, a ethnic cultural term 
used to describe a light, 
damn near white, black woman, 
sometimes also used for light 
complexioned black men."