My Home where I was born
Was a small eastern
North Carolina town
Once full of rural farms

Fifty percent military
Fifty percent civilian
10 percent professional/wealthy
20 percent mill workers
10 percent poor as dirt
60 percent conservative

A black segregated mystery to me
A nest of dysfunctional community
Not a place of critical thought
A place that was poorly taught

I was fortunate to be structured
With Air Force children’s space
That bring a culture
Foreign to this time this place

Friday night basketball
In the high school gym
Oh by the way not legal
Entering through an exhaust fan

I was a boy-scout
Living outside adventures
Distracted from reality
Until I met blue collar reality

A summer revelation
That rapidly scuttled
The protected bubble
Where I was encased

During my college education
I absorbed contradictions
Gracing my home on weekends
Realizing no home connection

When my education journey
Was completed
I packed for an opportunity

I left with no regrets

04/04/2025

Posted on 04/04/2025
Copyright © 2025 James Zealy