"YEARS OF ABSENCE, DAY OF RETURN"

The other morning, I had a vision, a momentary dream as I was waking up. In it I saw three Black children walking down a highway. An interstate somewhere in the American mid-west.

It was as if I were floating just above them following along. There was a young boy maybe 12'n wearing a "Yankee's" cap, a little girl 9 with a "Hello Kitty" backpack, and a toddler maybe 3 or 4 wearing an old fashioned Amish style sun bonnet.

The boy was pulling a 'red wagon' of the type that was common for kids to have in the 1940's, and 50's. I had one, an "American flyer" with white walls. Well in the wagon sat the baby, and various pieces of luggage. A little American flag fluttered from the back as the wagon bounced along. That flag though. It was an odd sort of thing... there was only 7 or 8 stars.

Now the children, they was cheerful, and good hearted. laughing, and singing as they walked. They spoke a musical sounding language, very sweet gentle like. Imagine old time hipsters speaking "Jive" in Middle English. The boy sang a strange bright hymn, and the little girl skipped along echo'n counter point. The baby was waving eagle feathers at the sky.

As I say these young souls was walk along a highway and headed for a town. Hamlin..., Hamlin Kansas. It was just across the next bridge. Just another peaceful late 21st century American ex-urb. The morning traffic was just starting to build. Though many cars had slowed their occupants staring in amazement at the children. The kids took no mind of them, they was used to gawkers by now, and continued on their way.

Still cars slowed, others stopped outright. All this for good reason. 'See these colored kids, these negro children was the first African Americans many of the motorists had seen in years. For some it was the 'first' they'd ever seen...outside of old movies or books that is.

America, 'least the "United States" part of it hadn't had any black folks since "that" day. Oh, it was maybe 40 years ago when all the Coloreds just up and left. No one ever found out where too. It was a particular Labor Day just after that desert war ended. All the Negros, all the slave descended had decided as one to leave. They left their houses their businesses cars lawn sprinklers, everything.

Well almost "everything."

They took their pets. Yes, they did take them to wherever they went off to. All their dogs, cats, birds, goldfish, and hamsters. They didn't take no snakes though. Black folks don't like no snakes. That's a fact!

Anyway, 'bout 300 years of slavery, and another 150 of false "freedom" would piss anybody off. So away the coloreds went. Nobody'd seen any of 'em till today.

Till these three children peacefully walking down interstate 28.

Ya know this sort of thing has happened before or so I hear. Over there in Russia where they treated the Jews bad. There's stories of whole villages vanishing. When Cossack's the came for their monthly murder, rape, and robbery they found empty towns. No Jewish folks, not one. I hear them Nazi's had the same "problem" sometimes.

But in our case seems 'some' Black folks had decided to come back to visit the earth again. Some few have come back to America to find out if the folks here had learned anything while they was gone. Some, just a few, just for now.

Years of Absence...Day of return.