alone Widda Bird + a Boddle - Cameron Spratley

Chuck Berry

by Will Nelson

Dressed in a slim tuxedo He stands center stage His semi-hollow body Guitar glimmers

The maroon Maple drum set Sits in his shadow Away from the crowd

Chuck bears no resemblance To analogous pale faces Without even a speck Of any coloration

They call his name in joy But he cannot share A meal with any of them At the local whites-only diner

Our America was Still a misinformed young adult

Caught in bed With the likes of Jim Crow An abusive affair with Nooses that hung on trees

In the 50’s white picket fences Masked the bigotry Of a nation that plagued Those on the outside

Chuck Berry’s audience May not have heard his plight But they always tuned in To his steel-stringed Gibson

Vinyl records spinning At homes or in clubs Led to children of all colors Learning under the same room

Blues from A Folk music from Appalachia Created a love child named Rock and Roll

Chuck Berry’s Music Blurs the boundary Between black and white

Fitting it all onto A single spectrum of grey.