Turning Back Toward a Nation

"They say Canada, cold--what you think," William said.

"Well we see. I sure will miss Virginia."

See, me an' William was two slaves given our freedom for fightin' in the war. We fought for Englin' and the redc'ats against the Americans but since we lost, we didn't have no choice but to go to Canada on our horses.

"Them white folks was tough, I'll tell ya," he said to me.

"Yeah, they knew how to fight, kept drawing weapons and su'prised us. I'm glad someone saw one 'cause one was real close to me behind my back ready ta shoot.

"Hey what you think Nava Scotia or wherever they sendin' us gonna be like?"

"My old mas'er told me it' real cold but it's pretty up 'round there," he said to me.

"You think we'll be able to find a wife up there? Ain't no black people there, huh?"

"We'll see. Even without a wife, I love that we'll be free."

We were in Vermont and coming up on some big Lake they called Memamog (Memphremagog) or somethin' right on the Canada border and it was time to cross over.

"You ready?" he asked me.

" Uhh , yeah I reckon," I had said with a deep breath.

"What's wrong?" William asked.

"Well see, I think we turnin' our back on this here land."

"Of course we is. This is the land that wanna keep us as animals and one we fought against. Ain' no turnin' back."

"But can we really...we was born here? All my family, my life, my history and all the slaves that died next to us on the battlefield. Hell, I don' remember bein' in Africa though Nana told me stories once upon a time."

"They don't care 'bout you. You comin' or what?"

"Sorry, somethin' in me is pushin' me to go back, I can't explain."

"So after all this ridin ,' and all these nights you just gon' turn your back?"

"No, I think you turnin' yo' back. This is my home."

"So I guess this is it," he said to me.

"Yeah, I reckon."

"Just remember, you got to go back to oppression and lose your man hood. I'm free now," he said.

I never spoke to William again but upon getting back to Virginia heard some funny stories 'bout how Canada wasn't no better than America, how it could actually be worse. Them white folk up there didn't like black people any more than they do down here, there just ain' no slaves there.

I can't explain why I did what I did but there was jus' this strong desire to be home, the only one I ever knew. Sure people treated me wrong and thangs is far from perfect but it's home.