The Old Black Rock Church

The Old Black Rock Church

By Timothy Melton

I saw the deacons marching

round the old Black Rock Church

Singing songs that moved

both men and mountains

I saw mothers suckling brown babies

whom I knew would one day march

in cadence

Round the Old Black Rock Church

Togetherness

Unity

Piety

That old country church

was more than a mere building

It was an institution

I will never forget

That Old Black Rock Church

The anchor of my family

The cornerstone of my Race

* * * * *

Timothy Melton wrote most of the poems in For Black Men Who Have Considered Living while incarcerated. They are "passionate and full of power." According to Richard Rowe, who wrote the foreword to this volume: "To write such a book of poems took tremendous discipline and courage. A book of this quality is never really expected to emerge from the dungeons of the criminal injustice system. Men, especially men of African descent, are supposed to waste away--return unfit and unable to maintain normal lifestyle.

"Timothy Melton is an exception to the rule. . . . I hope you will read each poem slowly and feel the power in each word."