The 20


So last Saturday we learned all about Andrew Jackson at the Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson musical.  And now, mere days later, Andrew Jackson is getting the boot off the 20 and guess who's getting popped on? Harriet Tubman, one of my heroes. Farewell, Andrew Jackson.  You weren't a great guy and it's time to head back to the Hermitage and leave the 20 to someone who stands for justice and incredible bravery. HARRIET!

Maybe I'll bring this Harriet Tubman poem with me to POEM IN YOUR POCKET DAY tomorrow.  We're going to be popping poems all day long.

Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman didn't take no stuff
Wasn't scared of nothing neither
Didn't come in this world to be no slave
And wasn't going to stay one either

"Farewell!" she sang to her friends one night
She was mighty sad to leave 'em
But she ran away that dark, hot night
Ran looking for her freedom
She ran to the woods and she ran through the woods
With the slave catchers right behind her
And she kept on going till she got to the North
Where those mean men couldn't find her

Nineteen times she went back South
To get three hundred others
She ran for her freedom nineteen times
To save Black sisters and brothers
Harriet Tubman didn't take no stuff
Wasn't scared of nothing neither
Didn't come in this world to be no slave
And didn't stay one either

     And didn't stay one either


I might pick this one though:


Went to the corner
Walked in the store
Bought me some candy
Ain’t got it no more Ain’t got it no more
Went to the beach
Played on the shore
Built me a sand house
Ain’t got it no more Ain’t got it no more
Went to the kitchen
Lay down on the floor
Made me a poem
Still got it Still got it
Both are by Eloise Greenfield.  So that means it's probably going to be a Greenfield kind of day.  

Comments

Joanne said…
I am part of a literature and medicine discussion group at the VA supported by a grant from Cal Humanities. We will be discussing two poems tomorrow so I will have them in my pocket.
cb said…
This post is awesome. Thank you. And happy poem in your pocket day, friend!
KC said…
Happy PIYP!! And I love these poems! And I didn't even know about them! Thank you!
mm said…
Happy PiYP Day! It's sooooo much fun. I'm sad we had to do ours last week and not on the official day. Dang testing!
Unknown said…
I emailed our group and several of us had poems not on the syllabus to share... Like Harriet Tubman

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