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I saw them take the musician away.
I saw it on TV,
in black and white. The police fed him
to the backseat of their car.
His crime: being a black artist
in a white society.
This man who shared such soulful sounds
as are by mortals rarely heard.
Mozart and Bach roll in their graves;
a bird is caged.
“What do you want,” the cop defended,
“safety or justice?
That bass might be stolen; that sheet music might hold
government secrets.
And what of the needles in his studio found?”
Where are his tracks?
“I suppose you’ll say he was on insulin.
We saw that white girl;
does he stab her with needles
to make her his slave?”
Peace please. If only you would
unstop your ears to hear.
Hear the musician singing in his cage--
suppressed inside a cage.
He sings for you, but you called
the police and complained.
To thank you for pointing out such a dangerous man
they give you a reward.
They take him to jail and clip his strings,
and break his wings and fingers.