THEY KILLED MY DREAMS

Claudette Thompson

They killed my dreams

Savagely ripped them from the deep recesses of my mind

I was disdainfully referred to as, ”Your kind.”

They claimed I was going insane

Described me as far from being urbane.

How dare I think I could be an inventor, a scientist, a teacher

I didn’t have what it takes to be a doctor, a manager, or a preacher.

They killed my dreams by telling me I could not

They threw out the plot

Rejected my story.

I was pushed aside to make way for those who were born at the right place;

Into the right family. Those who spoke with grace and who had a certain face

My wide, flared nose and my jet black skin

Were deemed a sin.

I was sent to the back of the class

Overlooked

Treated like a crook.

They killed my dreams

But they never killed me

And so majestically I rose up again

Like a flower bursting forth after a shower of rain

Miraculously resuscitated

After being mentally emasculated.

A new dream was born within me

I fuelled it with bold audacity.

I made a vow

That I’d never bow

To another man’s insensitivity

Nor his cruelty.

With vehemence my inner voice screams,

“No longer will you kill my dreams!”

Claudette Thompson, Jamaican author

Jamaican-born writer, poet, published author, and teacher Claudette Thompson, has been teaching children for more than 30 years. She has been a “Wordsmith” her entire life. Ms. Thompson's mantra, “Words are my toys and creativity, my game,” explains the exuberance and originality she brings to her writing as well as to her job as an educator. In both her Jamaican as well as her Bahamian homelands, she has meticulously honed her craft as a Red Cross volunteer, speech and writing coach, and a charismatic public speaker. To date, Ms. Thompson has won numerous teaching and literary awards. Ms. Thompson currently resides on the island of New Providence in The Bahamas.

Ms. Thompson's book, Take The Wheel-English Literature Made Simple & Enjoyable, a book of prose and poems for students is available in paperback and Kindle.

Enjoy other writings by Claudette Thompson.

The Dog Sitter

The Sapodilla Tree

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