SOUL CAFE GUEST POETRY PAGE
Check out new pieces by . . . Kendrea Grady, Lori Bush, Derick Bryant, Theresa Taylor, . . . updated 1/23/09 . . . also, check out our "BlessTheMic" spokenword (audio) link . . .

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Thank you for your interest. Enjoy poetry from around the world!


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All poets listed by first name or pen name.

 



Don’t Settle…
 

  Don’t settle for him, even though Prince Charming is not true.
Don’t settle for something, because you think it’s the best you can do.
Don’t settle for some, when you have so much more to give.
Don’t settle for it, for one life is all you have to live.
Don’t settle for less, “why should you have to!”
Don’t settle for games, even when you don’t have a clue.
Don’t settle for tears, when there’s more out there for you.
Don’t settle for lies, if you no it’s not true.
Don’t settle for pain, especially when it comes from his hand.
Don’t settle for disrespect, for respect you better demand.
Don’t settle for second best, first place is all you should see.
Settle for nothing less than the Best Black Woman you can be!


Copyright © 2002 Andrea L. Williams



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Untitled


disturbed soul fingernails like blades itching to rip through flesh.
resistance on low temptation on high.
help me lord, help me. i don't want satan to have me.
untie me from this chair of torture hit the off button to the projections of my enemies.
my eyes have wilted from so many tears.
help me lord, help me.

 


Copyright © 2007
Theresa Taylor



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Faces
 

I cannot change you.
You cannot change me.
We can only change what we perceive.
But in doing so
It may all become unreal,
Not part of the deal,
Not following the drill.
So when you look at my face,
See deep into my soul,
Remember, I am only

Who your mind wants to behold.
If you don't like what you see,
Look inside yourself.
Don't blame me.
For in this life
I am
To be
Free.
Free from the faces you place upon me.
Free from the attitudes you seem  to see.
Free from your chaos, your disunity.
Free faces.
Leave me be
To my Faces
Of Peace.


Copyright © 2001
Kim Adams


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It Hurts


41 Bullets to the chest
Being told you're not
As good as the rest
Treated like you're cursed
When you know you're blessed

When police commit a heinous act
And injustice is the only payback
But you're in pain
Don't know how to react
They wonder why you just won't "relax"

How they beat you into slavery
And gassed you, thought you were free
Your shackles are still there
But they're the kind you can't see

When your child can die
For running on the sidewalk
All you can ask yourself
"Is this why I fought?"
Marched, got beat up, and sat in?
If this is war will we ever win?

When a little girl clings to the memory
Of her father walking away
Too stiff from the pain to kneel and pray
Her heart still broken 23 years from today
It hurts more than any wound
The pain chewed you up
You've now been consumed


Copyright © 2002 Lanique Stepney



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My Midnight View


The midnight sky describes my soul.
Endless.
Mysterious.
And dreams scattered everywhere.
I'm drifting into the starry night
and leaving reality behind.
Escaping from the past.
Believing in the present.
And traveling to a perfect future.
I'm the only one who knows what I want.
I search for it everyday.
Success in a career.
Happiness with myself.
And love that never ends with a family.
Sadly, I'll never reach those high heights.
Because when I awaken from this fantasy,
I will only view the midnight sky
under six feet mounds of dirt


Copyright © 2002 Shayla Price



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I'm Searching


Searching, Understanding, Demanding your love.
Your Smile Dazzles Me.
Let Your lips Kiss me.
Be Gentle with your Thrust
Let Me open My self Up To your Touch
Kissing Your Chest Holding you Close.
Witness my Legs Envelop  your Hips.
Solo Becomes Duo Softly we dipped.
Begging To Sip At the Tip of your Manhood.
What I was Searching For is now Found.
What I was Longing to Understand Is Now Understood.


Copyright © 2002 Alethia Corbin aka LiquidKitty



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"Once Upon A Memory"


Holding on for as long as
I could to you before
you quickened your steps,
left me without a trace
of your ever being around,
and rendered me lonely.
 

Copyright © 2002 Tameko L. Barnette

 

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Beat
 

Can you feel the beat of the drum as it call your name

with rays of sunshine not one the same

colors melting to make a unique blend as

the drums of time beats on again and again

Feel the liteness of step as troubles pass you

by that really wasn't important as your soul

become one with heavenly skies

Life is just that

a rough or smooth ride as the drums of time

keep tick, tick, ticking on by but I don't worry

with Jesus by my side as peace surround me

and  the beat of the drums serene the skies

 

Copyright © 2003 Poetrymama

 

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Beauty Beyond Flesh
 

I was captured by your beauty in one glance of your grace

The glow of the King’s Glory shined bright upon your face

Time stood still long enough for eternity to walk and separate the waters

The day slowly came to an end, and I finally surrendered my fortress

"Hello", my spirit whispered so softly in the cool breeze of the evening

And your soul leaped into my heart, a moment ever so revealing

The gateways to our souls connected for what seemed forever

The Genesis Came to a Revelation as all which was written came together

Disappointment was removed, my life was consumed, and delivered from death

Love alone is the voice that makes every choice, the beauty beyond the flesh

Copyright © 2002 Ricardo Nelson
 

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A Disciples Cry


I emerge un heard with the wisdom I've learned,
Even with knowledge of self, my ignorance wont submerge.
I have lots of ideas, but most think they're absurd
I would of hit a home run but god through me a curve.

My opposition proposition in hopes mike might listen,
But I see through those like you with my x-ray type vision. 
In a better world I'd be somebody and my crimes, all forgiven.
But I see god plays favorites so my failures my prison.

I take different approaches in hopes you might notice,

But everything fails me, so my life seems so hopeless.
People insist I stay focused.  I have talent I know this,
But does any of that matter when the lord thinks I'm bogus.
I can only ask so much until it turns into begging,
I was baptized under you, why is it your forgetting.
I have done a lot of things that to this day I'm regretting,
I try not to think of failing because its often upsetting.

They say no one escapes your view but can that really be true,
When you've been blind to one guy who has stayed faithful to you.
I guess your not impressed by me speaking to you.
I used to pray to my grandma, but I think she's mad at me too.

The black hole called my life increases in size daily,
Its swallowing up my hopes and all that you gave me.
I only want the opportunity to project the talent you gave me.
If your really out there lord will you come down here and save me?
 

Copyright © 2002 Lyrically Defined

 

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EYE CANDY
 

I'm a junkie......
A DAMN FEEN!!!
so when you cross my visual screen,
with those damn jeans,
how do you expect me to act?
Damn,
do you have to lick your
lips like that?!
do you have to be blessed
with hips like that?!
and I bet the view from the back,
is like....WHOA!!!!
so when you caught me staring,
I was like....."OH",
my fault,
my thoughts,
were in the gutter,
like....me, you,
handcuffs and butter,
one round,
after another,
yeah.........
I can just imagine:
a "Jason's Lyric" scene,
picnic lunch with my queen,
in a setting so serene,
Babyface stopped,
and gave me props,
with the north breeze,
lifting your hair off your sleeve,
you breath,
again...........
and in my iris,
I rest,
and undress you,
from bottom to top,
making the most of the moment,
cuz you get off at the next stop...........

Copyright © 2002 Walter Jennings
 

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a tree trunk
 

like a man with muscle shape like a rock form into clay between crackling
brown wood
needing to watch over night and day along the green coastal shore bay
gleaming like a bright light into your eyes sparkling like stars into the
cloudy sky beaming down never coming to end.
second poem title: ARISING OF THE SUNSET
As I was awaken this morning by the sunset opening my eyes to a brighter
day the clouds
of yesterday are gone a new day awaits me to reach out to unspoken dreams
that's beyond my inner thought that I cant even touch or see yet reaching
back when I was a child playing hop scotch jump rope jacks ball or just
dancing on the curb and sidewalk with friends these are dreams that have
come true and now bigger things must and will come ahead of me if I keep
dreaming theirs is going to be a lot of rain, storms
hurricane, tornadoes, volcanoes
but I know I can and will survive these trials if I keep my hands in the
master hands
keep looking up not down because you or I will fall down deep in the
ground of no where
land but we can dig our way out if we keep our head up, listen though don't
let pride grab you if you do that' a no no. stay with yes yes you will
and may stay on top of higher
hills and mountains top.
 

Copyright © 2002 Sandra Lee
 

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"Crack Cocaine Is My Tsunami"
 

Crack Cocaine is my Tsunami…

I seen it kill over 1,000,000 people

10 million families effected

Destroyed homes

Food and water supply infected

Wave after wave

After wave

Crack wave

Followed by crime wave

Swept fathers away

Babies looking for mommies

While sister drowning in sorrows

Playa fuck what heard overseas

I can tell you an Unnatural disaster story

That will bring you to your knees

From 8ths

Ounces

Zips to Keys

ABC & NBC

Didn’t cover it until people on the mainland got touched

But by then the natives

Were swept away

Beautiful houses

Turned into rubble

By a pebble

Crack & crime waves

Were bigger than any

Tsunami

People scurrying around looking for remains

Trying to keep their heads above water

But it’s hard to swim or let alone stand in mud.

This shit funded

Crips and Bloods

Vice Lords and land lords

So can somebody tell me where is East Oakland’s telethon?

I don’t see donation jars on Harlem Grocery store check out stands

And no I’m not asking for a helping hand

But what I am saying is before we can go out and try to save the world

We need to take care of home first?

Seems like America only cares

When disaster is over there

While TV’s emphasize

We empathize

Eat up all of it

getting so full

TV is quick to make Americans hearts heart cry

But we’re quick to close the window

And blinds

When we hear pain and suffering going on outside.

once saw a woman put in $5 in a Jar

But passed a bum asking for 25 cents

While she was walking to her car.

Now you might say

"Well those people overseas are victims

And that bum has the power to change"

But if you really think about it

That $5 you give to the Tsunami victims

gets broken down so many times

by the time it gets overseas to those kids

what do they really end up receiving???…..change.


 

Copyright © 2005 Nercity
 

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Untitled

I
  watch the
  nape of your neck
  know it like the back
of my
  hand
  and the
  front
  of my palm
  wants
  so much
  to understand
  how
  it
feels.
 

Copyright © 2002 Papa Joe
 

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Why I Love Chocolate....
 

Hey little girl, what do you want to be when you are grown?
My answer would always set them back
As my eyes brightened and I'd dreamily answer
When I grow up, I want to be black.
Then of course, I'd have to start the process
of my justifying explanation
Thus began the unraveling
 of my innocent revelation.
 I wanna be black
 because its plain to see
 that black people have
 a superior beauty--
Silky soft skin,
natural muscle tone,
 Full, enviable, exquisite lips
 and perfect cheek bones.
 Long, curly, perfect lashes
 outlining large dark eyes,
 Women with small waists
 and shapely, thick thighs.
 Rhythm that no other race can mimic.
 And - physical supremacy aside
 who else can emerge from a history of slavery
 and pass on a legacy of pride?
 Faith in deity that did not waiver
 in the bleakest of days
 but rather broke out in songs
 that set the foundation of our praise.
 Not to mention the mastery of sensuality
 that makes you suck your breath and say oooh
 cuz there is true inspiration
 in what a black man can do!
 The question that arises, then
 is not why my desire arose
 but how they missed the obvious
 that was always under their nose.
 I stand before you
 in deep, respectful humility.
 Because you are everything
 I always wished I could be.

Copyright © 2002 Veronica Sneed
 

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My Blackness Is The Shit
 

Forged from my diverse ancestry
Its richness and its beauty
This pigmentation how could I resist
Because my blackness is the shit

The essence of my blackness is determination
Its hopes and dreams and inspiration
Because even though it has taken so many hits
My blackness is the shit

Caramel coated, pecan
Persimmon bronze, honey glazed almond tan
Etched within each molecule of my skin
Are my black ancestors who fought and died for freedom?

My blackness I wear like a crown
Because within the beauty of my pigmentation I have found
We come in a rainbow of shades
For my blackness is the shit, tailor made

My blackness gives me satisfaction
Unless your name is Michael Jackson
My beautiful Ebony shade
Doesn’t need a tune-up nor an upgrade

My blackness is a soulful melody
Of a rendition of Count and Dizzy
Of Bird, Duke and Coltrane
A sultry, sassy sway of my black frame

My blackness holds the key
To the beauty of my ancestry
For the souls of my people are priceless and delicate
Because my blackness is the shit

Ain’t my blackness the bomb?
Brothers and sisters you know where I am coming from
For my skin holds the endless fight for freedom
Martin, Malcolm, Douglass and Tubman

Like Jill Scott said I wear freedom around my neck on a chain
For my blackness is fluid like pouring rain
My blackness cause friendships not to exist
But my blackness is the shit

My blackness is the essence of defiance
Resistance
Confidence
Resilience

My blackness holds the soulful poetry
Of Langston and Countee
Dunbar, Brooks and Nikki
Maya, Sonia and Wheatley

My blackness spoke of urban times
Of the Harlem Renaissance in her prime
Of folklore and slavery
Of being free and the path we took for equality

My pigmentation
Is a 400 year documentation
For my color doesn’t need a tanning kit
Because my blackness is the shit

My blackness made voices ring
Of freedom songs my people sing
Of “I have a dream”, “Any means necessary” and “We shall overcome”
For my blackness demanded freedom

But even in this 21st century
We are still subjected to racism and brutality
But through our strength and determination we still resist

For My
....................Blackness
.......................................Is
..............................................The
.........................................................Shit


365 days black and proud….

 

Copyright © 2005 Gene Cole
 

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I Once Was A Crackhead
 

I once was a Crackhead

I loved it more than anything, nothing and no one made a difference.

When I ran out of money I sold my body.

It wasn't something I wanted to do or something I liked.

Deep down inside I knew it wasn't right.

Minutes turned into days,

days turned into weeks,weeks turned into years. 

When I smoked crack, I didn't seem to have any fears.

CRACK; sounds like something you do to your back.

It is actually a quite addictive substance. 

After one hit, things are never the same.

I always looked for someone else to blame.

Children were in the way, and the man didn't matter. 

I just kept smoking crack, and never seemed to get fatter.

I once was a crackhead

It wasn't a career goal or a dream, in reality I was a fiend

I didn't seek help, because I didn't see a problem.

Just a past time that became full-time.

I stopped looking in the mirror or even caring about how I looked.

Clothes dirty, no bath, hair nappy.

Just crack and more crack

Unhappy, miserable, lonely just to mention a few feelings I had

Life can never be the same as long as Crack is what you do.

I once was a Crackhead

But now I am a beautiful black goddess,

 full of life with my head above ground.

I now have my family back and can actually pay rent.

Since I am not a crackhead anymore I even have money to spend.

It wasn't easy to give up crack at first. 

I knew I could do better

And just didn't like the hurt.

I once was a CRACKHEAD.
 

Copyright © 2002 Teresa Taylor


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KINKY


a symbol

a sign
of negritude

nappy wooly
black

a
sign
of
afrika like sundried
raisins

a
symbol

utmost
black!
 

Copyright © 2002 Winston Nugent


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Soul Preservation of Jane Doe 


-Beginning-
She runs,
screaming
the ebony of night
covers her soul
like the depths of Sheol.
She runs,
cursing
her heels echo sounds
like ancestral drums.
She runs,
revealing her fright
as beads of sweat
embrace her face
like morning's dew.
She runs,
gasping,
shielding her breasts
as winter's moon
casts silhouettes
upon the city's cold concrete.
She runs,
fleeing
escaping the hands of enemies,
foes
trying to steal her soul,
trying to destroy
the essence of
Woman
she'd become.
She runs
she runs
she runs.
-End-


Copyright
© 2001 Beulah Gordon-Skinner


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GHETTO   CHILD

Adopted by a bastard community, ousted by it's biological
Parents society
No one belongs to this  illegitimate offspring
Neglected by the mainstream
Refuse to belong or fuse with this foreign life
Even though buffeted by it's inmates
Remain free, untouched
Everyone is not here to interrupt life style
Some just abiding for a while
Others shall flow on like the Nile

The community as whole is stripped of it's soul
The warmth it once had has grown cold
Nothing left to see or behold

Rejected, unhealthy, demotivated, and defected
You don't have to die
In order to live you scheme and lie

This unwed community fathered by society out of wedlock
Is full grown but premature
Underdeveloped because proper nourishment is withheld
This unwed community forced to be on welfare
Mainly because father doesn't care
Refuses his responsibility to bear

Hey, man do you understand
This community is a work of your hand
Upon your shoulder is the responsibility
It's up to you to bring back tranquility

Stop, making excuses because of your race
Now, is the time to take your rightful place
Stop acting like you owe me because I'm black
Now is the time to take up the slack
Make your community a dwelling, you can be proud
Make her an honest woman and shout it loud
Hey, society come and see
What a real marriage can be
I'm  the master of my community
The biological parent is me
My blood flows within her veins
I' lord and master I hold the reigns
To lead and guide her back to prosperity
Securing and maintaining posterity

So get a good look at her now
For it won't be long, daddy is home
No more will she be a bastard community
Ugly, deformed, abstract reality
I bring transformation with immunity
No more bastard but mastered community


Copyright © 1989  Josephine Dixon Banks


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HOW MUCH!
(Carlisa Roberts)

 

ONE DAY A MAN WOKE WITH A VOID IN HIS LIFE……

SO THE MAN WENT TO HIS WIFE AND SAID “MY WIFE, HOW MUCH! DO YOU LOVE ME?”

AND HIS WIFE WITH HER ARMS OPENED ANSWERED “I LOVE YOU! THIS MUCH!”

BUT HIS VOID WAS STILL THERE.  

SO THE MAN WENT TO HIS MOTHER AND SAID “MOTHER, HOW MUCH! DO YOU LOVE ME?”

AND HIS MOTHER WITH HER ARMS OPENED ANSWERED “I LOVE YOU! THIS MUCH!”

BUT THE VOID WAS STILL THERE.  

SO THE MAN WENT TO HIS FATHER AND SAID “FATHER, HOW MUCH! DO YOU LOVE ME?”

AND HIS FATHER WITH HIS ARMS OPENED ANSWERED “I LOVE YOU! THIS MUCH!”

BUT THE VOID WAS STILL THERE.

THEN THE MAN PRAYED TO GOD WITH ALL HIS HEART AND CRIED OUT “MY GOD, HOW MUCH! DO YOU LOVE ME?”

AND A VISION OF A LAMB WAS SHOWN TO THE MAN, BUT THE MAN DID NOT UNDERSTAND.

SO THE MAN CRIED OUT “MY HEAVENLY FATHER!!

” THEN JESUS WITH HIS ARMS OPENED WIDE ANSWERED THE MAN “I LOVE YOU! THIS MUCH!”

AND AS JESUS SPREAD HIS ARMS HE WAS NAILED TO THE CROSS.

THEN THE MAN CRIED BECAUSE HIS VOID WAS FILLED!

GLORY TO GOD THROUGH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST

 

Copyright © 2002 ALLEN


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SOUL OF A SISTAH

 

I'm so glad I'm a Sistah

You better believe I am

I possess the strength of a lion

But I'm soft as a lamb
 

According to Psalms 139:14

I'm fearfully and wonderfully made

God created me so awesome

I don't know how to behave
 

I made my entrance into this world

From the belly of an Afrikan Queen

Even my birth was deemed outstanding

The finest this world had ever seen

 

My inner spirit is so complex

Other women try to figure me out

But they will never know me like that

"Cause they can't handle what I'm about
 

My skin complexion is radiant and warm

Like the sun of my native Homeland

Together with my sisters I range in color

From a deep mohogany to a golden honey tan
 

And since the curve of my mouth is so natural

I don't have to inject my lips

Ask the brothers... they'll tell you

I'm already equipped with voluptuous hips
 

When it comes to my hair I'm versatile

Its thickness is handled with grace and ease

That's why I can perm, braid, lock or extend

And change it every day of the week if I so please
 

Maya told me I was phenomenal

Angela reminded me to exhale

And it was Tina who made me question love

And not become docile to any male
 

Iyanla Vanzant appeared on the scene

Urging me to look inside my soul

Now Kameelah's slammin on the spoken word

Getting paid her worth in gold
 

And I give props to the musical geniuses

Like Yolanda Adams and the talented Lauryn Hill

Because when sisters are free to create

We excel and dominate in every field
 

Now, just in case you don't believe me

Drinking my kool-aid without knowing the flavor

It was a Sistahs womb that was chosen

To carry the seed that birthed the Saviour
 

That's why I'm so glad to be a Sistah

You better believe I am

"Cause I'm the baddest thing breathing

That's ever stepped upon this land
 

 Copyright © 2000  Konversations with Kameelah


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STILL WATERS


Quietly I'll fight.
Try to do my will.
And the force of nature will imprint on my brain,
to remember my pain.
And make me move.

SUNFLOWER
Plain and simple like a sunflower.
Don't have the beauty of a rose.
Hide behind ideals of reality.
Strikes a simple pose.
Togetherness and one with the earth.
Can't live without giving birth.
Sun rises on my crown.
Deep chocolate complexion of brown.
Look towards the sky.
While day turns to nigh.

DUST
At first things aren't what they seem.
Fatal nightmares turn into wonderful dreams.
Misunderstanding and untotal trust.
Disapear with the wind
and fade in the dust.


Copyright
© 2002 POEMS WRITTEN BY ANITRA RUBEN-ESTHER


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'Only Me!!'

Visions through these eyes of mine
What I see
Oh, what a tangled web we weave
To deceive is never my intention
Not to mention
It brings such negative attention
I just want to do what I want to do
When I want to do it
How I choose to pursue it
Is my prerogative
Cause whose going to live this life for me?
Not the next one
Only me
Only me is the person I can hold responsible for
Hold responsible for
The poor choices I may have made before
And or any other choices that wait outside that door
Only me
There are those who could bring a smile to my face
But only me can replace
That smile with a frown
That frown with a tear
That tear with another smile
That stretches from ear to ear
Only me
There are those who could try or succeed in scaring me
But only me
Only me is the person
That can allow fear to bring me to my knees
Allow my emotions to drown in the seas
Shallow or deep
Only me
Only me can swim a stream of consciousness
Only me can write like this
Reminisce about a kiss so long ago
And still let go, though
The memory will stand secure
Only me is the one who holds the cure
Only me is the person who can endure
Only me is the person
Who knows what I have that’s pure
When lured into a situation
Only me can give hesitation
Or feed into the temptation
I’m the one
Only me
Only me is the person who gets the sensation
Its me who knows best what to do
And if I don’t know
I’ll learn
Who knows better?
Not you
Only me has the pull
Only me keeps the cool
Only me can play the fool
Only me feels ridicule
 

Copyright © 2002 Desiree Meneses


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Hopes' Gentle Prayer

That was the time when I never lied
When things were new in the midnight hour
The Benidiction of my affliction was not so evident
Traveling down this bumpy road has often caused things to shake loose
That was then
Qualitative thoughts ran rampant
And everyone we knew kind of looked like you
All wide-eyed and bushy tailed
Chasing the master plan for a derivative of happiness
Blending days with nights and learned behavior with truth
When a bright summers' day wasn't so closely related to heartache
Or head attacks
Migraines that ran wild like poppy fields freshly cut
The rash of deaths didn't ring truer than the national debt
Who would have thought then, that days were wasted
It lasted longer than a wet dream on a cold winters' night
That was then
Now my forevers are caught up in the esoteric value of my pride
The rain falls so constantly that I can't catch my breath
Tumultuous storms stagnating the virtuosity of my virtue
Damning me to Act 3; Scene 4 of this silly play
Shall twilight catch me waving?
Envisioning the ever burgeoning theories of my growth?
I hope not.


Copywright
© 2002 Leslie Harris
 


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Homecoming

Such a while
Since the pen etched paper
Yet on this particular day
As I heard the rain tapping
Lightly against my thoughts

Reading "The Woman That I Am",
I could feel the moment of
inspiration coming over me
while bathing in the words of
      Nikki Giovanni
            Yvonne Sapia
                  Naomi Shihab Nye

I found my ache caressed by the writings of
      Sonia Sanchez
            Carolyn Rodgers
                  Maya Angelou

Until my soul stirred from the inspirations of
      Naomi Long Madgett
            Patricia Jones
                  Aminata Moseka
                        And Ntozake Shange
I felt the awakening?
>From an overlong slumber
The tightening in my chest began to ebb
The chill to cease
as I took solace
in the warmth of their words.

I sensed the urgency for pen
to jot down MY insignificant thoughts
and deeply exhaled  as the insignificant
Turned same into syllables..
and  syllables turned into words
and words became a creation of my own vision.

Touched by the reprieve
>From  sorrow and tears
that entrapped logical reflection.
(For I had acquiesced and gave distress the
power to do so).

I began to crave more and lose myself
with heartfelt gratitude in the release
that begat a moment of peace to ease
The pain..
I surrendered..
      Easing the pain
To poetic thought
      Just to ease the pain

As I continued to cultivate my craving,
I found a little of me in each writer.
Reminiscent of the play on words
that played a melodious Aperto
once lost to me.

Beckoning that I depart from what had
Become my reality.
My momentary loss of sanity
that clinched at my heart til,
I dared not breathe.

I listened while the soothing salve of their words
began to heal with understanding.

Causing my focus to gain clarity
with creative means that once was a word
from syllables.
The evolution...
The birth of mere thought
whispering diligently
to reclaim what I put aside haphazardly
For the sake of time.

Soft sigh saying
Wake up child
And begin to find your way to what once
was second nature by way of first.

I took hold of their encouragement
As if it were life itself
Tears fell freely?.
      The pain began to fade
In its place?was new found understanding.

My mind concluded this chapter of unending turmoil.

and with their welcoming words?
My soul found its way home.


Copyright © 2002 Kimberly Dangerfield 



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SILK ON SILK

      sILK ON sILK

mY HANDS ON YOUR BODY

LIKE SILK ON SILK

REMEMBER THE FRIST KISS

CAN WE CONTINUE LIKE THIS?

A KING AND A QUEEN AGREEING CONCERNING LOVE

BLESSED BY THE GOD ABOVE

"GOD IS LOVE'

YOUR THRONE PUTS YOU ON HIGH MY SWEET

YOU PUT NO ONE AT YOUR FEET

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL AS YOU ARE FAIR

I KNOW GOD HAS PUT YOU THERE

GOD ALSO PUT YOU IN MY LIFE

YOU MY QUEEN ARE TRULY MY WIFE

YOUR BEDROOM CONSIST OF THE PURPLES, BLUES, REDS, FRANKENSCENTS

ALL THE SURROUNDING OF THE TRUE QUEEN

AND I DANCE A JIG EVERYTIME I SEE YOU

MY QUEEN, MY LOVER, MY BOO

YOUR LOVING ME IS LIKE FLOATING ON AIR

I ENJOY YOU MY SWEET WITHOUT A CARE

MY HANDS TO YOUR BODY

LIKE SILK ON SILK

TAKING NOT TIME FOR GRANTED

EVERY MINUTE IS AN HOUR OF YOUR PLEASURE

MMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

SILK ON SILK

 

Copyright © 2002 Kwane
 

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Before You Go  

Just walk on by
and don't look back.
Even as I try
to make up for
the things I lack

You don't love me
and I understand.
But cant you see
before you close the door
that here I stand

Missing you.
 

Copyright © 2002 OneHolyMonkey
 

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A Faithful Sailboat

Every sailboat experiences a storm,
its value seems low as its structure is torn,
as it sails, it sways and rocks,
its search lights ahead peers for the closest dock,
the thunder roars and the lightning strikes,
large droplets of rain pore through the night,
later everything eases and the storm comes to a pause,
the boat feels as if it had been in hell's jaws,
it continues to sail as the sun peers out,
it rebuilds its strength to finish its route,
the moral of this poem is to let you know,
that every person goes through a storm, so keep the faith and never let go,
just do the same as the little boat did,
rebuild your strength and start over again.
-Exposed Imagination
 

Copyright © 2002 Tonya Sivels
 

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Locwashus: Word of Gout


Seven setting suns saw Atlanta
The stench of soured smoke
crack lockjaw emote
the emaciated gaunt of an addicts choke
as he stumbles of peaches, pecans, smiles and Coke.
The world waits and watches as towers of hapless babble fall
and Ludacris is the most popular of them all.

The gateway to the south
more like a syphilis mouth
Human papaloma on eyes, ears, and you made lust on a leather couch-
offending East Indians and what few indigenous float about.

This is a street corner of ignorance
An avenue of absurdity
The flagrant malefactors representing tha Dirty.


This is a piece in opposition to the filth spit by popular southern rappers.
Too often talent goes wasted in an attempt to gain popularity, those who choose
to spit on surface levels are killing the ears/brains of those who listen- Word of Mouf- Word of Gout. Love.



Copyright © 2002 Locwashus
 

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Your Love Appeals to my Senses

 

  Tell me, do you think I can taste, smell, see, or hear love?

Well the answer is yes because your love appeals to my senses.

    Love tastes like your strawberry lip gloss as I lick my lips after touching yours,

    and it smells like your hair after you,ve used your favorite shampoo and stepped out of the shower.

    Love looks like our reflection in the mirror,

and it sounds like your soft breathing after you've fallen

 asleep on my chest.

 

 Copyright © 2002 Chris Wright a.k.a.  I.C.E.   

 

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When the Wind Blows

 

His love is sweet,

sweet love parts from his lips,

lips that kiss my back softly

and speak words of love

that can soothe hearts.

Love trickles from his lips and

caress my essence of womanhood.

His love runs deep

and deeply he makes love to me,

with passion

I feel his love and

I hear his love and

it makes me cry out for his love.

His love is felt through the

bed of my nails to the depth of my soul.

His love is heard through the silence

of halls filled with the aroma of

musk incense and I experience that

kind of loving every time

I smell that scent.

I feel his love every time

the house settles and I climax

when the wind blows.

 

Copyright © 2002  Nicole N. Wasson

 

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"Loves Corruption"

Endless emotions created from limitless desires and potential harmony

At first it was hard for me 2 accept the finality

The boundaries of a relationship corrupted by love

How much unknown 2 the human eye like stars above

2 beings combined a new you a new me

a cycle of circles strength in the ring

Infinite adoration shared by 2 lovers

Borders from the heavens deepest point 2 our bed under the covers
 

Copyright © 2002 Taboo!! Dangerfield
 

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Prosaic


Living and remaining in the projects to some is staying real
The poverty, the grips of ghetto life embeds comfort zone feelings,
Made enemies live together that are supposed to love one another
Children can't play outside safe because of unpredictable demons.

Some single mothers never know how it feels to be loved by a man
Got some fool creeping up in they spot smiling with unknown intentions,
Hoping and Praying that he is the one to save her in more ways than one
God tells them no, but satan tell them yes, this is divine intervention, they listen.

Some brothers feel stuck after a life of youthful crime and sum up they can't get a job
That feeling of hopelessness, is displayed through aggression on those their image,
The police ride through and the vibe is threatened and no feeling of protection
One strike standing, and two more he is out of the game, his freedom is weaved with limits.

Ghetto child buck wild running across the concrete of shattered glass and beer cans
Sweet child of mines eyes and ears lost their innocence a long time ago,
Survival mechanism of being on point assist the child from becoming a victim
Junk food is a sweet taste of an escape while chewing looking for that rainbow.

They run as fast as those strong legs will allow them, to get away from the sadness and confusion
Only to find there is no pot of gold, and like Santa another lie to soothe their raw edged pain,
Happiness is misconstrued of remaining young as long as they can by their actions and thoughts
Immaturity thrives as the oppressor children rise to control their peers one day, soon it's gonna rain.

With God as 'The Protector' of His children, and every living thing we are a part of Love regardless
The mind is the weapon to achieve personal triumphs, the attitude and thoughts are the helve,
Standing strong it's all mental and one day even a baby have to hold and not crack
There's no other way but to Love the self first, walk away from the past and onto the future delve.


Copyright © 2002 Veronica Cohen
 

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This Day Came Too Soon

On a Sunday morning with the sun shining, heart full and in

the light, there came pain standing next to me.

Fallen words of how yesterday was and how today came about

made me flinch with despair hoping that these words would leave

my heart so your heart would not be broken.

If I had to guess for one more moment that I would not feel this then

my hopes are broken and so much like my heart and your heart that

I know I have broken.

Can’t change what happened, but today came around and I

did not find you there because yesterday was so constant

that it made today impossible for us to be.

I’m turning this corner and I’m turning it alone. Never thought

I would turn it without you but today I did just that.

So how do I tell my heart not to be selfish when it’s you that I’m

looking out for.

How do I tell my heart to let you go when it’s me that loved you from

afar.

How do I say goodbye when it was only yesterday you told me you

loved me.

How do I tell my heart to not ache when it’s really

your heart that aches.

How do I turn this corner knowing that I’ll be turning it all alone.

 

Copyright © 2002 Rosalyn Renee Walker
 

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The Streets Of Oakland by Emanuel

 

yesterday i drove through Oakland

it looked just like home

yesterday i drove through Oakland

and it looked just like home

chocolate babies walking down the streets

laughing and talking loud sweeping their feets

liquor stores and brothers standing `round

in this place a piece of my own i found

yesterday i rolled through Oakland

it looked just like the Neighborhood

yesterday i rolled through Oakland

and it looked just like home

i drove down streets once walked by the Party

Panther history is rich here and all around me

Hewy and Angela and all of the rest

i have found a piece of Mystory and it beats in my chest

yesterday i rolled through Oakland

it looked just like the Crenshaw and King

yesterday i rolled through Oakland

and I found home
 

Copyright © 2002 Emanuel

 

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Outcry
 

More than worthless; empty

More than worthless; useless

Mere nothingness is the sight I see

When the reflection in the mirror is eyeing me,

Eyeing me and crying inside to me

To be set free

Because on this soil

There is nothing left for me

I am in my own right worthless-

Worth less than the ground beneath my feet

Which has for centuries upon end sprouted the life our earth is privileged to see

I am worth less than that old hard gum stuck to the street

that once caused pleasure since in its former life it was a treat
Worth less than less and thus more than less
At this point there is nothing left But to fall to my knees and pray for the best
Pray for succession and guidance pray for knowledge and wisdom pray that this

hell on earth which encompasses my every waking moment is in fact

A revelation to my Maker that my faith will persist in Him through this test,

this life long quest

My faith worth more than less

His strength worth more than less

My life worth more

And more
 

Copyright © 2002 Nasidaii
 

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Who Am I

I was molded from up above

Out of my "Father's" love

Who Am I?

I am from the rib of "Gods" first creation

Who Am I?

I am nourishment for the fruit of my seed

Who Am I?

From my womb the messiah was born

Who Am I?

I am inner beauty in spirit, quietness and grace

I am of a divine people with a heritage of a proud race

Who Am I?

From the lightest browns, to the deepest blacks

I am rich in culture and thats a fact

Who Am I?

I am the pride of my husbands side

I am wisdom in my childrens eye's

Who Am I?

I am the mother of many different nations

I wear the crown of a blessed generations

Who am I?

We are the old the young the yet to come

She is you, She is me in He

I am Woman
 

Copyright © 2002 Joyce Saulter

 

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A PRAYER

 

Lord,please help me

       Not to write for praise

       Not to live for recognition

       Not to create for applause

       Not to broadcast my gifts

       Not to "puff-up" from reviews

       Not to ever think I've "arrived"

Help me to never stop seeking knowledge

To see the wonder in everyone and in me

To resist the choice to medicate

and have the courage to feel

Let my eye always behold beauty-

even in ugliness

Help me always to notice the sky

and appreciate life's little miracles

to bend down and kiss nature

Help me smile

      But help me cry-

tears need to wash away toxins

and cleanse the soul

Help me to always

      embrace my light

even when darkness

       threatens to close in

Help me to take self-inventory

       and welcome change-

it's going to come whether

I welcome it or not

Lord help me not to dim-

because someone said I shined too bright

Help me

       Come out of my comfort zone

       and touch the unknown

       To say "hi" to a stranger

To give-more than I receive

and Lord

Please help me remember that it's

       Not money

       Not fame

       Not opportunity

But it's what I allow you to be in me

       That makes the difference

 

Copyright ©  2002 Jaz

 

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Black men

Our skin Complexion
Complex eye's to stop
And stare into our
Perplex structure
As we walk with
Our heads up high
When we speak we talk
With dignity shooken up
In our voice. When we work
We work for our best interest
When we are loved it's by
Our queens our black True
Queens standing behind our
Back thru all diversity's
Because we are black men
That rocks with pride that ride
With integrity that yell's out freedom
Deep down inside our bones we are the
Ones that built this country we are the ones
That picked and walked and sweat on fields our names
Is in engraved thru this land so it is a privileged
Being a black male because our qualities lay in
Our hearts and in our  appearances.


Copyright © 2002 Anthony Johns

 

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OLD DAYS

 

When the time reached seven cosby was coming on 

It felt like we all reached heaven

Little girls were rocking jellies and wearing them pony tails

People were writing letters cause there was no e-mail

MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice just came out

People were throwing parties not trying to bang out

Or slang crack or sell dope

Or chain jack or even sell they soul for some fame stats

When LL needed a lil love

When Micheal Jackson was moon walking and wearing a glove

It's all love but I miss seeing New Edition

They were like tradition

Black people were proud then

But now we on a mission

Hoping and wishing to make a lot of money, but that same lot of money can cause us to act so funny

Sesame Street was in

Children could listen to songs from beginning to end

I remember seeing my first record spin

Salt -n-Pepa was pushing while herby was mixing

Whatever happened to nehi peach, save some now and eat later,putting jolly ranchers in pickles creating our own flavor

The old days

Time sometimes I hate ya

Will and Jazz dropped summertime

Back then everybody could rhyme

Video Soul had our souls at rest

Watching Al B. Sure, Keith Sweat always begged the best

People was wearing converse shoes and British knights, later on Reebok invented the shoe that had lights

Oh how I wish, oh wish, oh wish that I could just take a flight

Back to the days of being the same instead of not treating each other right
 

Copyright © 2002 Goldenchild
 

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Untitled

In the red zone of blood and destruction

to my eyes of vast corruption

is the veryness of my comsumption

that i lay my hands upon thy throat

and sufforcate thee

through these hands do i reveal

true nature of which God has laid out

in his immortal plan 
 

Copyright © 2002 Kathy Barajas
 

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Missing You

I wish there were something
I could do to keep from…
Missing you.
Since the day you've been gone,
I've been…
Missing you.
And thinking about you occurs
24-7.
I feel like you're here…
Right by my side.
Thing about the times that we laughed…
The hours I cried…
Soaked shoulders…stolen kisses…
Trying to keep your pride.
Sometimes,
I feel like the day that you left me…
A part of me just died.
And so
I am…
Missing you.

I understand why you had to go.
It's whether or not you're coming back…
That's the answer I don't know.
You opened up my eyes…
So I could see my own soul.
You soothed me without always
Giving me your golden touch.
In actuality,
You exposed me to spirituality…
The kind I never knew existed
Because I was too busy
Living in a false reality.
And for that…
I thank you…
And miss you.

Will you ever return?
Only time will tell.
If you do come back…
Will it be to me?
Or will you tell me to go to hell?
Or kick me to the curb
Like I'm your father's son?
Or with that seductive look,
And mellow voice say,
"Sorry, boo.  You're not the one!"
Please don't give me your ass to kiss…
And show me the bitch in you…
The "Miss-In You".
And make me regret
Missing you.
I would Never Understand…
And be called Miss N.U.
Lord knows I've never done…
And will never do
Anything to you to deserve…
That treatment…
Because I love you,
And, because…
I miss you.

 

Copyright © 2002 Tamika Greaves
 

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Happy New Year

Saying good-bye to old habits
To gain new ones, learn how to fly
Without leaving the ground
As the days, weeks, months, go by and by
To see another time, this is the time to
Forgive and forget
As if we never met.
If it's really meant to be
Then one day ,this moment
Will return u to me
As the old and current drive many insane
Cheers... to the new year
When we meet again

Copyright © 2004 Letrisee Nycole Lawson
 

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Untitled
 

 

Penetrate my soul.

enter my mind

tear a hole.

so unkind.

you feed my desire,

test my limits,

Inspire.

Push me to the edge

and pull me back

for more

I am

your whore.

control my emotions

tell me how to feel.

you get what you want

demand or steal.

In silence

I scream.

Everything

Is more than it seems.

I hide from the world

behind my eyes of green.

 

No one knows...

and never will

 

Copyright © 2002 Gina Raye Nelson
 

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TIME TO CALL HOME

I left home a long time ago…
No destination…I just had to go…ya know
I traveled the world…saw sights…I probably never…would've seen…
Had I stuck to the game plan…of makin' that…conventional green
I was maybe seventeen years old…still a child…but thought I was a MAN
The world…and all its heartache…was still new to me…
Understand…
I left home…a long time ago…way before I had the chance…to grow
Way before I had the chance…to learn
Living this life…you surely…will get burned

I'd call home on occasions…with a tear…waiting to fall…from my eye
Until I realized…I'm a MAN…and well…we know…a MAN…don't cry
Right?
See…I left home when I was just a boy…yearning…to see the world
Life was an experiment…just as…the boys…and the girls
It was all so crazy…trying to be grown…out…on your own…
But nothing…could've prepared me…
When a voice said, "Son...Momma's gone."

Gone…
Gone where…to the store…to the doctor…to visit a friend…
No Son…"Momma's life…has come to an end…
"She lived life…and she said…'ensure' that you do too…
Remember, son…your Momma…luvvved you."
Yes Sir…I will…as I apologized with tears in my eyes…
Although I am a MAN…
I'm still…the little boy…in disguise

Daddy's voice was cracking…I knew he was hurting…
Yet…he gave me courage…strength…and advice…just the same

He said, "…There should be no tears…no sorrow…and no…heartfelt pain
                But Son…don't ever…let it take you…this long…
                To ever…call again…"


Copyright © 2002 Stephen B Grant
 

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  HOLD ON STEP BACK

Broke spirits

 battered lay scattered

 next to broken promises and broken hearts

 becoming part of the cement in my broken city

 you have just as much as me but still envy

 because I'm gone shine regardless

 110%

i give the world everything

 what i mean is though I'm different

i still human aren't you?

 So why criticize me for what i do or the way i do it

if your way is right

 then prove it

I'll sit and listen

and with much content

 i will not change my opinion 

I've stepped over the same broken spirits and promises

now is that what i think it is

your broken heart lay next to mine

maybe at a different time

but on the same side walk in this broken city of mine

 now am i lying

you want to hold me back

but what's the use of both of us dying

i'd rther die trying

than not try at all

you can

 not stand if first you do not fall

so hold up stand back

 i'v said my peace that's all

promises nowI'drather

 

 

Copyright © 2002 Janel Young
 

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FLO-GAZZZUUUMMMZZ

 

From the lust of this, I bust nuts in poetics.

Ejectin gyzmm of metaphoric pleasures.

Giving birth to lines of verses, creative works in diverse,

melodious tempos, similes and hyperboles.

Masterfully timed and rhymed or not,

Intertwined throughout paragraphs,

Warm as sunbaths in the summer,

Floatin in wonderment as words illuminate the imagination,

Gestations, immaculate conceptions.

Causin splashes of color to blast forth with sound,

Profound fill it pound,

Down deep,

As U day sleep, in a day dream, from a day theme.

Sweet like the cream of a root beer float on your lip, sip,

Feels good like a cotton swab q-tip, in your ear----

Gaaazzzuuummmz

But let me get deeper, as words seep like lotion in your skin

Rub it in

Nice &Smooooth,

Mooovve U to melancholy moods and sooooth the savages,

As it ravages the soul,

Control.

As I stroke this with deep penetrations,

I thrust

& bust nuts

In poetics.

 

Copyright © 2002 Day St. Live

 

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Untitled

 

I’m so ill I make you stutter when you say my name
I make you hold yo head down In shame I’m just that vain
I’m so bad I make you lose concentration, I make you feel irritation And take multiplication to add my duration

To yo radio, television, and PBS stations, I erase all of my enemies with my words of wisdom

I make the freakiest hoes get down to the words that pour out of my mouth like milk out of a carton,
I hit streets like prostitutes condoms and tear holes in regular men
I am the beast that roams the streets. When the bell rings I take toll and march with the darkness of a
thousand samurai soldiers ready for war in a city that knows no heart but the one its crushed,
I bang heads of men who come against me, trying to take me for a joke you choked

I abuse my verbal daily and let every person know that you can’t test the best
and you will be stressed making a mess of you is what I’ll do,
in the hole that you dug for me I bury you body up to the neck,
I leave your head out so you can see me walk away into the darkness, the drum beats.

Every man you sent for me has come to an end
and I have demolished your beginnings and started your end
I’ve taken care of every problem you sent my way and have played every game that was meant to play I fear no man

I’m so sexy that you call me ugly cause you can’t get a piece you jump when I speak
I walk through a room stompin my feet to a beat that irritates every person
I meet I put fear in you cause you don’t know what I’ma do I make soft men turn hard and hard men come

To there senses …….

I read everybody in a room their rights because I police yo brain and any area that my eyes see
like the inch high private eye I spy on territories that I plan to conquer so make room!
 

Copyright © 2002 mocha
 

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Oak Tree Niggas

 

Sit back watch the sky

Only true niggas can walk with out a trace of high

Realize how much is achieved out of lazidacal work

My analogy of it, broke niggas chasing skirts

Re-rap the game, re-write the tool, and re-structure the ground
How many niggas in the ghetto ever been out of town
Not a few miles out or a few miles high
To naive to see what’s being dished out the devils pie
But bills got to be paid, and dreams seem to far out of reach
Knowledge is the only thing that we fail to teach
From new technical wires that branches out and catches eyes

For everything new thing that comes out, seems like another brother dies
To see how twisted and corrupt the government is, that the damn president don’t care to disguise
Then wonder why enemies rage against his mankind
So sit back and watch the sky And try not to be left with a trace of high And watch the world around you,
and you’ll receive the knowledge as it goes by.


Copyright © 2002 Obie Duren
 

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Who Am I?!
 

There is no way to categorize my ethnicity

 because I will never quite be what people may see.

Black doesn't seem to be enough of a statement when

your skin is several shades lighter than pavement.

Is my hair too straight to be African American?

If I were to wear it more curly would your ass stop staring?

Is my language supposed to be that of a thug?

Do I need a big ass to pull and to tug?

Ignorance and miseducation with anxious alcoholic perspiration; this is what they see in our young Black nation. But if it were different, they'd still

 grow to hate us. So why is it that when you lay your eyes on me it's so hard for your tiny, little minds to believe that me and every piece of me that

 you can't see is a part of my African American ancestry. Every other nationality blends beautifully and if you got to know me deeply you, too,

 would see. But does it really matter who I be if you can't understand what's really me?

 

Copyright © 2002 Tamara Simpson

 

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be love

 

it’s amazin’ how you feel in love

when you’re feelin’ love

with your “fill-in love.”

it’s a maze in which you’re lost in love

when you’re lost in love

with the lust in love.

see, there’s a difference between

being in love … and being in lust … and being in like.

and there’s a difference between

loving someone and

lusting for someone

unless you’re a nympho (sike).

we all go through phases in love … you’ve got the

cheap thrills

and the one who fills

in until you find the real deal.

but who has time to kill?

let’s just keep it real.

are you tryin’ to hear what I’m tryin’ to feeeel?

it’s insane that we play games with love,

wear fake names in love.

we stake claims to love,

but won’t make change for love.

it’s in sayin’ that, “we want to be loved.”

that we should see love’s what we should BE … LOVE.
 

Copyright © 2002 Eboni

 

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Love 
 

I need love

Love can mean many things

Not sex or diamond rings

It could be certain spontaneous things

I'm not going to lie

I want something that hits my spot and makes me wine

But if that's all your working with boy

Your wasting my time

I need love to put a tingle in my spine

Love so good it stands through the end of time

Something so affectionate it calms my mind

I need love

Today love shined on me

Let me be for real

It almost blinded me

With it's tallness and dark skin

I don't know if I can say this

He made me moist within

I watched the brother walk

That put a stop in my heart

So much passion in your eyes

I knew you'll be mine

Because I need love

To put a tingle in my spine

Love so good it stands through the end of time

Something so affectionate it calms my mind

I need love
 

Copyright © 2002 Rashidah Inge

 

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Who Cares What Man Thinks


Afraid that all our guilty actions,
Will be on newspapers as the main attraction,
Desperate measures we take to hide our shame,
Not knowing we dig a deeper hole for our "good" name
All man has fallen short of the glory
If they claiming perfection, they`re telling a story.
Eyes keep closing till we living in vain.
mouths keep widdening so other men we can blame.
If we just realized that we shouldn`t hide,
We could stop trying to cover up with more lies
Be your own person, Confess on to God so you can be relieved.
Trust in Him who you claimed to believe.
Torn to pieces by the allusion
That you have to reach this so called perfection.
All God`s asking for is your permission,
To take over your soul and control your actions.
But too scared of what man will think,
You let others kick you until you sink.
Trying to fit the "model" description but the costume doesn`t fit,
So now you can`t control your own spiritual gift.
All He wants you to be is your own man
But you still dwell under the devils command
To disloyal, to take a spiritual stand.
But in the end where you think you will land.



Copyright © 2002 Cassandra Leid

 

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  "DEDICATION"

 

Discouraged by nothing, distracted by nothing.

Following the road paves by you as well as people alike.

Seeing the light whether its dawn, noon, or night.

A way of life while awake as well as asleep.

A conscious state of mind, even in your dreams.

You focus on your destination, the objective of ones plight.

Mentally you topple opposition taking victory in each fight.

A will power so strong, by comparison... a runaway locomotive.

Unstoppable strength with success as your sole motive.

Interior foundations constructed by titanium faith.

A process of cultivation elevating you beyond space.

Generally speaking: Thy soul is the motivation.  And through principle I

illustrate amongst the nations, bringing forth...  This grammatical

demonstration a poetic manifestation definition of dedication.

 

Copyright © 2002  Jason G.

 

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Your existence in this world

 

Have you touched that fine object, but not appreciated what you felt?

 Have you inhaled that pleasant aroma, but not appreciated what you smelt?

 Have you looked at amazing artwork, but not appreciated what you saw?

 Your existence in this world; Could you make it more?

 Have you been cooled down by air, but not appreciated that breeze?

 Have you marveled at the colour of autumn, but not appreciated the trees?

 Have you floated in a warm beach, but not appreciated that effort of the waves?

 Your existence in this world; Do you appreciate your days?

 Have you lived a life of opportunity, but not appreciated your forefather¡¦s pain?

 Have you been given water when you were thirsty, but not appreciated the rain?

 Have you been held close by your lover, but not appreciated the melody of their heart?

 Your existence in this world; Do you do your part?

 Have you danced all night to a rhythm, but not appreciated the story in the words?

 Have you rushed out of bed in the morning, but not appreciated the song sung by the Birds?

 Have you taken a long walk, but not appreciated that you had the health to be able to?

 Your existence in this world; What does it mean to you?

 Have you promised yourself happiness tomorrow, but not appreciated all you have today?

 Have you been given words of wisdom from a parent, but not appreciated what they had to say?

 Have you been hurt from a wrong choice, but not appreciated the lesson gained from your fall?

 Your existence in this world; Are you living with your ALL?

 

Copyright © 2002 Samantha Marie Mckenzie

 

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Home...

 

Once upon a time... not so long ago... in a place and time... where 
anyone could be... a butterfly... a forest... or even a ray of 
light... from a star in the night and where imagination was as
real... 
and the reality... was the invisible friend... that only you could 
see... and would protect you... in time of need. 
But there was a disturbance that could be felt... from fairy tail 
poem... all the way to home... in a different reality. 
This disturbance had no form... that could be known... by only one 
name. 
As the butterfly flew threw the smoke... and as the forest burned... 
it saw a light... from the star so far away... and then imagined its 
self... as a invisible friend... and protected itself... in a 
different reality... all the way home... 

 

 Copyright © 2002 Tony Chavez

 

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Pearls to Swine

 

There she sat as beautiful and bountiful as Africa.

Both of her hands and arms stretched wide open.

In her hands were money, her future, happiness,  love and all of her time.

There for the taking for anyone who was willing to love her.

She had the strength and endurance of ten fortified cities.

Whenever men looked at her, they saw opportunity.

Greed, selfishness and self gratification their only motive for getting close to her.

Envious of her they cunningly thought of ways to oppress her.

Men, as ugly as the capitalism that rule America, came and went.

Taking, never giving, but her resources never ran out. She was always hopeful.

They called her names laughing at her as they walked away with their hands full.

Her tears were plenty.  Her pain never subsided, but she never lost faith.

All she wanted was someone to love her. 

To appreciate her. Someone she could trust

and make her feel safe. 

Until that person could be found, she would continue to strive.

She was always successful at everything else she did.

There she sat as beautiful and bountiful as Africa.

Lonely and hurt.

After years of oppression and abuse.

The sound of her crying was as melodious as a song.

Like the songs the Africans' slaves used to sing while working in the fields.

There she sat as beautiful and bountiful as Africa.

Not knowing what to do, but knowing she couldn't go on this way. She decided to go within. 

She got down on both knees and folded her hands together.

Kneeling in a praying position, she asked for Divine guidance.

She dug deep down inside and realized her mistake.

These words rang in her head:

"Do not give what is holy to dogs, neither throw your pearls before swine,

that they may never trample them under their feet and turn around and rip you open."

She realized that happiness comes from within. She realized that she had the power all of this time.

There she sat as beautiful and bountiful as Africa.

Both of her hands and arms stretched wide open.

She wrapped them around her slender body.

She picked her pearls that had been trampled and made a beautiful necklace

for herself . . .
 

  Copyright © 2002 CHERI WONG

 

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SLOW RIDING 
 
 
CAN U COME OVER AN PLEASE ME, POUR THE WINE IN MY GLASS, MASSAGE 
BETWEEN MY THIGHS,LICKING YOUR LIPS LOOKING DOWN AT ME 
UNBUTTONING MY SHIRT, SLOW DOWN PAPIE. YOUR LEGS AROUND MY WAIST
TIP OF YOUR TONGUE KISSING MY NIPPLE 
I FEEL YOUR HANDS SO STRONG
TENDERLY TOUCHING MY BACK
HMM LET ME EXHALE, CAN U INHALE THIS AGIANST
THE ROOF OF YOUR MOUTH , LAY AN DOWN LET MY TOUGUE PLAY 
ALONG THE BACK OF YOUR THIGHS,
TONGUE F@#KING YOU ALONG YOUR INNER WALLS
FACE BURIED BETWEEN THE PILLOWS, HOW DEEP CAN I GO 
SLOW RIDING YOUR LEGS AROUND MY NECK,CARESSING
YOU, MOLDING YOU TO HARDNESS, STROKING U UNTIL YOU EXPLODE.
SLOW RIDING YOUR TONGUE WITH MY LIPS.
LICKING ESTACY FROM YOUR NAVEL,SLOW RIDING BETWEEN MY SHEETS.
  



Copyright © 2002 Jasper C. McKnight

 

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Fifty

By Dr. Billy Ingram

Fifty…it ain’t no thang, it ain’t filthy, and it ain’t even a four-letter word.
Haven’t you heard?…Fifty is like a bird that’s free; you know, liberty!
Fifty is jubilee, a chance to be all you can be.

Fifty…it ain’t no thang, it ain’t about days, numbers or years.
It’s taking life by the throat and conquering all your fears.
Fifty is having the time of your life, because life is best lived without strife!

Fifty…it ain’t no thang, it’s leaving behind all the negativity, and thanking God for a half century.
Fifty…it ain’t no low degree, misery or mystery, it’s standing tall because God set’s man free.

Fifty…it ain’t no thang, why worry or fret? God ain’t finished with you yet.
Fifty…it’s taking the wings of the morning like the proud eagle, using all of life’s adversity and controversy, to rise to another anniversary.

Fifty…it ain’t no thang, it’s learning all of life’s lessons and counting daily all of God’s choicest blessings.
Fifty…it’s always giving without remembering and always receiving without forgetting.

Fifty…it ain’t no thang, it’s time to celebrate, don’t hesitate or allow others to playa hate.
Take time to meditate on your maker, because some which are younger than you, are already with the undertaker…



Copyright © 2002 Got It Like That, Inc.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured.

 

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One Tear Can Make An Ocean
 

An ocean begins with one drop of water
One tear runs down the right cheek of my face,
then another runs down in the very same place
The same thing happens on the left side of my face,
One tear leads to a puddle, to a stream, to a lake,
and then an ocean is made
Now you have an ocean of tears, a lake of fears,
and a stream full of pain
If you've never been hurt then you'll probably think I'm insane
But somehow you've got to swim to the shore
and in the process all the pain you have to hide and ignore
It cuts your heart like a machete and leaves your soul to bleed
As I sleep at night, nightmares fill my head,
over and over relieving all the tears I shed
Oh, If you only knew what goes through my head
Sometimes, I don't even know how I make it through the day
I'm glad someone is here to assure me it's okay
Now my life is a big puzzle, I'm trying to put the pieces back together
I wish I could just forget the whole ordeal,
but inside I know that I never will.
 

Copyright ©2002 Michelle Bowman

 

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"My Wildflower In The Wind"
 

A figment of my imagination
With the ambient sun glowing,
Delicately you unfold…revealing the
Inner beauty that captured my first
Tranquil thought,
Gently stealing my breath,
Reminiscent of a subtle breeze
Passing…another precious moment
Gone by…

Eternally tracing the path in my mind
That retraces the steps that lead to the
Uttermost parts of my heart…

Searching and hoping to find a time
In eternity where the thought of you
Rest serenely…

Leaving me to wonder why… as I ponder,
Then I sip…savoring that, which is refreshing…
Endeavoring to partake of something genuine,
Something that matures and ages with time,
Something pure…
As I am lured in…
Trapped like a petal in the wind
Caught in a tailspin…
With curious thoughts spiraling downward in my mind...Is it possible that you truly exist...
Out there...in the somewhere?


©2003
Dwayne E. Littleton
NtelectOFtheAbStracT

 

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Just Lost Today In Between The Lines

 

I’m looking up

 asking why

How come there’s a void in my conquest

called life?

What have my days brought me to?

Searching for this distant concept

I can’t seem to grasp just yet.

My reason for believing

I’ll find someone to call on

shoulder or arms to hold on.

In my need of sadness

better yet madness.

Where am I going?

Why can’t I see this path I’m on?

very narrow and long

it makes me wonder

whether I’m heading on a turn

in the wrong direction.

Contemplating on these thoughts

as they run through

like a quiet chaos.

 Where, what am I?

More like what defines me?

It’s vexing my every move!

How should I step over this?

Where do my feet begin this trail...

where does this walk end as well?

Do I wake up tomorrow?

Is it something that I just gotta do?

Wake up?

For what!

It feels better in this quiet slumber.

So reality can’t wait

It’s so impatient

it has to become

a night mare

interrupting my revere.

So I arise from this bed

not wanting to consume

what life has not fed.

Cause something that was said to me

just stayed in my head

Hungry...close to starving

 craving this reality impingement

to be released

cause it was working my last nerve!

What do I do then?

Get dressed in that familiar

suit of aggression

added to my face of disillusion.

The question I pose to life

is when do I get my chance?

To smile and laugh

to cry tears of joy

and not sorrow?

I want to dance

that rhythm less melody

every one speaks of

having that internal groove

that can’t nobody prove

but me.

 

Copyright ©2002 Jeannette Nolan

 

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"SAME S*** JUS A DIFFERENT DAY"
 

As I wake from my paradise

I confront another battle ready as eva

Now I am a day wiser

I constipate the day’s task wit heart and mind

If they anit wit it

It doesn’t go down

To find nu perspectives I change my route

I hit the streets putting my mission in motion

I give it breath when I speak of it

I give it a body when I share it

I give it life

And jus like every living thing it has enemies

Its enemies are my enemies

To destroy our enemies we befriend them

When they feel like they know a conscious king we crush them

Cuz I walk these streets wit a state of mind

Mental mixed wit guerrilla warfare not crime

Its crazy what love will make you do

Black people this is for you

And before I go back to my paradise

Know that everyday I pay the price

Feel my sacrifice

 

Copyright ©2002 Kamau Jones

 

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My Master

He grabs me
He touches me
I am his property 

He owns me
And as much
As he needs to own
Something, to control something
I have the need to be purchased 

I am his
To be managed
To be told
Bought and sold
To the highest bidder
Motivation differs

Maybe his revenge
Is in me, captivity
And bondage, he
Finds peace in holding
Me Hostage

Maybe I find peace
In submission
As I am guilt stricken
And no I was not the cause
Perhaps guilt by association
Because I saw it all
Whey they hung his dreams
And beat his hope while his
Feet were dangling
I am his refuge
When he tells me
What to do and as
Much as he needs to
Lead, I need to follow
I have no identity
Nor do I wish there to
Be, I am of he from his
Rib, the place where I find rest
The place where they ripped
His heart form his chest
I carry his burdens
I am his servant
I learn his thoughts
And those are the things
In which I think
And that is why his pain
I feel so deep
The truest since of Unity
I am his soldier and he is my casualty of war…


 

Copyright © 2002 Nia R. Glover

 

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Is Woman Love?

Love means to except one as they are

Not wanting to change them by far

Letting the phantasy of that emotion led you

Pleased in the utopia for the two

Real love seems to be that perfect place

Where body and mind no longer chase

But the heart does continue to race

The ideal union of affection given by God

Love, me and God a tripod

Paradise real; in the recesses of your mind

No longer a phantasy but a recipe

Uniting genetics making them refine

You know that pure state?

Renewing and re-invigorating that deep down love

That love which makes you shake, tremble and or quiver

That good fear of being close...To close for words

Lasting a relatively short time?

Now! that is a phantasy and a Crime

I speak of a pure union

I speak of a pure love

I speak of A woman

Woman is a phantasy? Woman is love?

Woman can be your everything

Woman  makes my heart sing

A woman is my jazz

My liveliness

My excitement

My spirit

Woman a intricate part of manhood

God is an intricate part of us two

What does Love mean to you?

 

Copyright © 2002 Whisperkwane

 

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Love Me 


Purple
suede
Blue glaze
Green seeds
Blowing in the trees
I
will pretend
That you said it to me…
Oh I will pretend
That you said you
Loved me 
 Turquoise feathers
Black flower
Wild weather
Whether you like it or not
Yes
baby, I dream baby,
That you said it to me
      Oh I dream that you said
You loved me
In all the time we shared,
It’s always been me that cared
I laughed, you smiled
You ran, I chased
And now we’re at the end of the race.
So I’m tired of dreaming!
No more dreaming that you love me.
I
will pretend
And I dream
But no more dreaming
That you love me!
 

Copyright © 2002 Rukiya Ashanti Wheeler
 

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Rhythm

 

Rhythm in everything that moves

Rhythm in everyone that grooves

Rhythm in musical compositions around the world

Rhythm in a dancers soul that give them that extra swirl

Finger popping ditty bopping to the beats on the street

Booty clapping while your man tapping that ass in the sheets

Church lady fanning while humming a hymn Rocking herself in touch with the rhythm within

Synchronous rhythms enjoy the same plot

That off beat rhythm is what worked the right spot

We should have recorded how you took me there

Was it the screaming or the pulling of hair?

Placing one foot in front of the other you’re considered walking

Add hips to the equation now your body is talking

You can’t always predict what it might be saying To someone watching, lurking or surveying

Just know its rhythm controlling your stride

Like a hypnotic watch swinging from side to side

 

Copyright ©2002 Edward Butterfield

 

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 ?UESTIONED DEGREEZ

 

I NEVER THOUGHT I SEE THE DAY YOU AIN'T LISTEN

MAYBE I'M JUST TO LOST TO NOTICE THE BLESSIN'

IN THIS WORLD I'M MISSIN'

SINCE BIRTH I'VE FLOW'D AGAINST THE RHYTHM

TRIED TO UNCOVER THE HIDDEN

AND GUIDE MYSELF THRU FALSE RELIGION

AND FIND YOUR BENEDICTONS

YOU SEE I'M SEARCHING 4 THE LIGHT

MANY TIMES I PRAYED TO YOU ON CLEAR NIGHTS

TRIED TO SEND OFFERINS RIGHT

BUT TO HELL OR JAIL BE MY ONLY CLEAR SIGHT

AND 360 DEGREES TO THE RIGHT

MY NATION DRAW 2 CRESENTS AND 5 POINTS

THE ESSENCE OF STREET LIFE

BUT YOU KNEW THIS RIGHT?

EVRYDAY IS MOVED TO YOU RIGHT?

SO  FAR ALL I'VE WITNESSED IS STRIFE

THE CONSTANT FIGHT TO SURVIVE OFF A MIGHT

IN MY EYES LOST SOULZ ARE REALLY RIGHT

WE HAVE THE HEART TO ASK 4 YOUR GUIDANCE

ALTHOUGH THE DEVIL IS BEHIND US

AND EVERYONE UNDERMIND US

OUR PLUS THEIR MINUS

AND OUR STREETS CONFINE US

BIND US

BY OATH

BY DEATH

CAUSE LIFE DON'T EXIST

PUT ME TO REST

I TEST THE REST TO WALK WITH THE FORSAKEN

AND EVERYDAY IS ABOUT CALCULATING PAPER

I HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE TO MAKE IT

BUT IT'S ALL ABOUT WHOSE SOUL I'M TAKING

WHOSE SUN LOST THEIR WAY AND FOUND ME

NOW THEIR LIFE CONSIST OF FICTION DRUG ADDICTION

IN DEBT TO ME

FATHER THESE STREETS IS TO A 3rd DEGREE

I PRAYED 4 SO MANY YEARS

AM I NOT WORHTY 4 YOU TO ANSWER ME?

NO... SO I SEARH HIGH AND LOW IN THE FORBIDDEN

HATE TO BRING KIDS INTO THE SYSTEM

BUT MY OTHER HALF FEELS THE RHYTHM

OR A CLOCK

YEARN 4 THE DAY TIME STOPS

BUT UNTIL THEN I PLOT

TO RETURN TO SALEM

AND HUSTLE THE BLOCK

WHAT WE ARE CREATING IS A BIG IDEA

A NEW WORLD ORDER

SO WORLD PREPARE YOUR SUNZ AND DAUGHTERS

4 BUSH'S SLAUGHTER AND ANCIENT IDEOLOGY

WAS IT YOU?...WAS IT ME?

OR ARE WE ALL TERRORISTS OF EARTH AND BIRTH

BABYLON SCRIPT TO DEPICT MISWRITTEN PROPHECY 

THE ARCHITECT BLESSED THIS WORLD TO CRUMBLE

HIS FATAL FLAW FUMBLE

IS NIGGAZ LIKE ME

THOUGH MISGUIDED I'M NOT A DEMON

TRYIN' TO SLANG SEMEN

NOT A PIMP PLAYA BUT A SOULJAH

STREET VETERAN

EXPERIENCING WISDOM

WHAT ELDERS HAVE GIVIN' TO ME

THIS WORLD I SEE MISSIN' TO ME

HARD BURNED CHARRED

TO A 3rd DEGREE.

STRENGTH&VIGILANCE.

 

Copyright ©2003 Rodney Barber

 

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Phenomenal Woman

 

A phenomenal woman-that’s what you see.

Phenomenal because of what’s inside me.

What makes me so phenomenal, you ask?

I can summon the powers of those in my past.

Those who endured vicious evils untold:

those who were murdered, raped and sold!

Those who wore chains, those with no name,

those who bounced back from unspeakable shame.

Those who ruled kingdoms in a faraway land.

Those who built pyramids and the Sphinx by hand.

Those who work miracles through prayer and song.

Those who have kept an oppressed people strong.

Those who are here despite every attempt

to disgrace and destroy-yes, I come from them.

I AM a phenomenal woman, you see.

Phenomenal, simply, because all that’s in me!

 

 Copyright © 2002 C. Highsmith-Hooks

 

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Opening Up

Close your eyes and open your ears, to the sounds of the lost souls throughout the years.
Crying for help, at least a hand, perhaps a grip on one or two fingers,
but thats not enough the wind just brings her down, futher and further the faster the wind blows
and now all of a sudden no one knows, the pain of losing the hold on something so fragile. 
So when they cant hold on anymore they become alone and breakable.
Putting up a wall so the shattered pieces of their life wont hit them
or cut them or make them any more paper thin than they are. 
Close your eyes, and open your ears to the sounds of young girls asking for help,
when they realize they arent as grown as the features of their body,
and listen to the sounds of the young men asking for help when they realize they may be fathers and have to grow up, 
but the souls are all trapped inside trying to escape, so thats when reactions may be delayed. 
When someone finally turns down the lights, and closes their eyes,
and opens their ears to hear the sounds of the lost souls trapped for past years.
It is only untill we open our eyes and keep listening and educate our youth that we realize the naked and terrifying truth,
that when we see young people needing assistance we act like we cant see,
or hear or even acknowledge their existance.
There is really only one thing to say and do and pardon me if I hurt your feelings,
but man you should realize that those people could be reaching to you!!! 
So what are you gonna do, the first thing I'm gonna do is open my eyes, my heart and my ears and listen to these souls,
and perhaps even lend out my hand instead of thinking I'm in some make believe land.  
 

 Copyright © 2002 Ruth L Andrews
 

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Untitled
 

M A D D N E S nes...  consumes my happiness even BEATS my sadness suffocates my breath and leaves me lifeless,

and that's how i spend my days and my nights are even less.

i'm slipping and falling, i can feel my death; but what if i'm not ready, and

what do i have left. 

so i fight, and i climb, and i stride toward divine....then i'm weak ,and i'm

beat, and again this reality is my greet; from morning through the day and

into the evening...this life i live, this life can't be my ending. So again i fight, and again i climb, and again I stride and I stride and I

STRIDE and I hear the cries inside.... so I turn and face my GUIDE... and now

I am

inner-gized...

 and I feel ALIVE and I can fight and climb and stride with my head held high

and boasting all the while so they come unto me with glee and OOH CHILE....

Then it is my place to remain mild and say with smile, FOR IT WAS HE, THE ONE

WHOM HAS BEEN WITH ME ALL THE WHILE.

 

 Copyright © 2002 Joyyouthinc
 

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SILK STOCKINGS
      
                  SILK STOCKINGS HANGING OVER THERE
             CARELESSLY PLACED PAPERS SCATTERED EVERYWHERE
                  I REACH FOR YOU, BUT YOU'RE NOT THERE
                  MY THOUGHTS TURN TO YOU AND MY SOUL YEARNS FOR
YOUR  TENDER TOUCH
         I SEEK NOT MUCH, BUT TO KEEP YOU LIKE THE SANDS KEEPS TIME
             YOUR LIKE SILK STOCKINGS THAT GENTLY CARESS MY LEGS
          SOFT, SILKY,  AND SMOOTH THAT'S HOW YOU CARESS MY MIND....



COPYRIGHT
© 2003 T'S JOYNT
 

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LOVE DESIRED
 


I want my heart to be carried on lilac rose petals and my eyes to see the beauty of darkness
 

I want to blow you kisses in the pouring rain and then run wild with the wind

Let’s play like children 

I want to caress your eyelashes with my tongue and make your body succumb to the nectar of pleasures

Let’s have fun

I want you to trace my lips with your fingertips while your fullness is pressed to mine

Let’s take sips of each other’s tenderness

Damn we’re fine

Let’s indulge in our own rhythms of motion so that time has no place and dusk meets dawn

You’s my Man and I’s your Woman

Let the warmth of our bodies penetrate our souls make winter stand still and stories be told

Let’s make summer scandalous, arouse the clouds and ‘cause thunder to shudder to show the world a love like no other

Damn we’re wild

I want to purr like a kitten during heights of ecstasy while you roar like a lion in endless passion then flow like brown gravy through my funnel of privacy

You’s my Man and I’s your Woman

let’s grow old together and keep in our hearts the love we grew to depend on, the melody of our song, the birds that woke us up with the sun and how you and I discovered a “beauty” in one

Damn, you’s my Man and I..I’s your Woman

 

 

Copyright © 2000 T. Barrett

 

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By The Hands Of The Brotha Man

 

Our families were ripped apart, taken from the Mother Land

And suffered years of imprisonment and abuse in a foreign land

Women was destroyed devastated by rape

Killed their own children so they wouldn’t be enslaved

Unity was evident as they sang their songs of freedom

They were a people they were one

A people held together by their roots and strong belief

Joined from the hip from their experiences of slavery

If they were destroyed it was due to the other man

But not likely by the hands of the brotha man

 Over 1400 years later freedom has come

But unfortunately my people no longer stand together as one

Forgotten is the concept of brotherly love

Now our oppression, abuse, and annihilation is caused by us

Freedom of choosing my own colors is gone

In my own hood I have worry if I’d make it home

This was not a part of the great civil rights leaders’ plans

For the destruction of our people and communities by the hand of the brotha man

Too many have struggled for the common cause

For freedom and justice for us all

To sit on busses as we choose

To attend our choice of schools

To walk on any neighborhood streets as we please

We’re moving in reverse or so it seems

 

Copyright © 2004 Tonya Barber

 

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Ghetto Soup. No Crackers.

 

"Excuse me", goes ghetto girl.

"EXCUSE ME", yells ghetto girl.

"There's a virus in my soup, wait-a.

Take this shyt back and bring me another one."

"Come back with another solution

to my sexual revolution."

                                              A-B-C

                                                             S-T-D

                                                                                        H-I-V

the alphabet soup of the new millenium

sexual illusions

prophylactic confusion

better wear dat hat 'fore da rain come down

blowing away your protection

victimized by erections

brothas and sistas

black, brown, yellow and white

poison milk is coming down

much to that bytch medusa's delight

turn your bone ta stone

make your mom an' pop groan

the weight of all this pain

onset of

the poison rain

"HIV is a scary little thing

I'm so glad I've found the joy it brings."

said the sweet, young beautiful project baby

the one who never lived to be a lady

No more brainless "thugs"

stompin' around town in their "Lugz"

no real direction

yet, TONS of nasty infection

"hey, ma... what the deal ?!

my dick is brick.

how YOU feel?

you wanna suck?

you wanna fuck?"

this was the now-hardened seed of Abraham

the one who really never gave a damn

"suck my dick, you nasty bitch,

like you suck his dick, you filthy trick..."

"swallow 20,000 viruses

so that all the medicines in the world can't stop your hurt

infect you with my l-oooo-ve

so you can spend the rest of your life looking for comfort"

passing the virus

brotha to sista

sista to brotha

mother to daughter

"but, I don't wanna be careful

I gotta live for the now

niggraz lo-ooooove a tight ass

it's all they know how"

but, "niggraz" iz always ready

ready to lick

ready to dick

stick out your tongue

all coated in thrush

brothaman's got the infection

and spreads it to the rest of us

street grime with a passion

nothing but dirty-azz batz

putting da love on da kitty kat

of that, "Damn, she FAT!!"

mentally-unstable chickenhead

with the cancelled WIC check

and now her time has come

to give birth like "Stran-JHAY"

the dawning of her misery

into the clear light of her day

a child

born to die

to reflect on life

without even a try

"Mooo-mmy why you cryin'?"

"Mooo-mmy why you dyin'?"

Is that nasty little cell killing your protection?

Is it time for your ass to get that next injection?

A-B-C

                                    S-T-D

                                                                   H-I-V

the alphabet soup of the new millenium

but, niggaz ain't learning

niggaz iz thug

they all up in your azz and ain't really trying to hug

"D" & "T"... and that shorty "E"

all wanna train you to be a

sl-aaaa-ve to their rhythms

get you high... get it in you...

fuck her hard, stereotype thugnigga.

fuck her deep, stereotype spicnigga.

Forget about the times when the slaveowner

had you fuck your mother

to reproduce like cattle

3/5ths the man you once were

voluntary slavery

that's the REAL battle.

"by the way, thugnigga..."

"check it out, spicnigga..."

"before, you get up an' go..."

"What's your name, baby?

cause I really truly wanna be your Hoe."

 

Copyright © 2002 Hiali Quiñonez

 

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"My Hometown"
 

Is it just me,

or is this how it's come to be,

walking down the streets all eyes on me,

white women clutching their purses afraid of me,

but little ole me how can this be,

or has it became this way,

terrifed by an uprise,

but the uprise has been surprised,

by the flames in our eyes,

that way of defeating,

without receiving a beating,

only beating is the police cheif,

putting a city of indifferences on curfew,

really know the cure,

it is pure,

but darn sure,

to secure the poor,

from living outdoors,

unmasked robbing stores,

infront of stores,

panhandling for more,

more than I can enjoy,

to be me,

to be free,

 to be black,

in Cincinnati,

but that is a mystery,

to some,

of how it can proceed from being the city,

that had a tragedy,

that was televised nationally,

actually it wasn't a tragedy,

it was reality,

that got caught nationally. 

 

Copyright © 2003 Jessica Peaks

 

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"FREE YOUR MIND"

 

Release – the bliss on the sons

of your lips…

Father – bless the souls

fill all their holes

With Love, Peace, Compassion for the next

What of yourself do you see within…

The preciousness of your thoughts is

divine in its form

Your worries and cries, feel them, Most High…

I erupt – I blow up – !!

At night – the ‘death’ monster crawls to and fro

Seeking me in the darkness

leading me into the cold…

I must free my mind – ESCAPE –

the route of doubts and woe..

I CAN MAKE IT!

Out of this pit of hell – This is something I just know…

Strengthen the mind – Feed it the food

of Eternal Force – Let Him provide for you –

He died for you – came alive for you

Make HIM your Source.

       Draw from the power

Be raised up in the darkest of your hour..

Your stronger than YOU yet can see

Say so with your lips – Make it come to be…

The power of the tongue stops death and carries life

Put forth your words – Destroy the monster of the night..

Stop ignorance from slaughtering your mind

Pour Light therein – to manifest Life

      within you – in due time…

 

 Copyright © 2002 FIRE (Lisa Morris)

 

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dreams
 

I've seen the dream

the same dream that Martin Luther King proclaimed

that dream drives us to fight for all the things we have

that dream helps us walk through another day

that dream saves us from total and complete hopelessness

that surrounds us every day like the night that creeps ever so quietly

quieter than smoke or what you and i think

but that dream also makes our lives just a little bit more unbearable

that dream drives the police to keep us down

to keep indians in the reservations

who waste away from the inside

forgotten, left behind and slowly disappearing

it keeps blacks in the ghettos

where it's too frightening to walk the street safely

and the sounds of the gunshots drown out the promises of America

it turns away the hispanics

who come to look for a new start only to face poverty and adversity at the hands of a

angry nation looking for someone to blame

yeah i've seen the dream

i've seen the dream that martin luther king talked about

but for now

at least that's all it is

a dream.

 

Copyright © 2003  Micah Benally

 

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THE MORNING SHOW

RUSHING TO FINISHING MY WORK SO THAT I CAN RETIRE KINDER EARLY TONIGHT GOT TO GET UP BEFORE THE CRACK OF DAWN. GEE, THE NIGHT SEEM SO LONG CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT THE MORNING SHOW HAVE IN STORE TODAY. DON'T GET ME WRONG I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO FEELS THIS WAY I SAW MS EMMA CHECKING OUT THE SHOW TOO. MY ALARM GOES OFF AT 4:00am JUMP OUT OF BED GOT MY CUP OF COFFEE GOT MY SEAT AND PULL UP THE SHADE, SHOW TIME! AND WE ALL THOUGHT EVERYBODY OUT THIS TIME OF MORNING IS GOING TO WORK (WRONG) AT LEASE NOT MR. JOHNSON, MAN IS HE RUNNING TO GET TO HIS CAR THIS MORNING NEVER SAW HIM MOVE SO FAST WONDER WHAT GOT HIM GOING SO THIS MORNING? UHH GOT A GOOD ONE THIS MORNING THAT LITTLE RED CAR DOWN THE STREET HAS FOUR FLAT TIRES CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHO COMES OUT TO THAT ONE. DAMN! GOT TO USE THE REST ROOM HOPE I DON'T MISS A THING LOOKS LIKE IT'S ABOUT TO GET HOT OUT THERE ON THE MORNING SHOW.

BACK, OOH CHILD DIDN'T MISS A THING THERE HE GOES IN HIS SUNDAY GO TO MEET SUIT. HE'S HOTTER THAN A FIRE CRACKER ON THE 4 th JULY. AS HE LOOKS AROUND TO SEE IF ANYONE IS WATCHING BUT EVERYONE IS TO CLAVER TO LET ANYONE SEE THEM AFTER ALL THIS IS A RITUAL IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. JUST LAST WEEK MRS GREEN, DOWN THE STREET CAUGHT MR GREEN LEAVING MS ELLIE'S HOUSE. MS ELLIE IS FAMILAR WITH ALL THE MEN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. SHE'S WHAT MY MOTHER SAYS FULL OF LIFE. SHE SPEAKS TO EVERY BODY SHE IS SO PRETTY AND NICE. ONE DAY I SAID I WANTED TO BE JUST LIKE HER AND MY MOTHER GAVE ME SUCH A LECTURE THAT I'LL NEVER FORGET. GIRL YOU BETTER WATCH YOUR TONGUE. I DIDN'T KNOW WHY AT THE TIME. SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND DON'T BE SO NOSEY. THAT RED CAR, HERE COMES THE OWNER NEVER SAW HER ON THE BLOCK BEFORE WONDER WHO SHE CAME TO SEE, WELL SHE WON'T BE GOING ANYWHERE TO FAST AFTER ALL SHE HAS 4 BAD TIRES.

SUN IS COMING UP THE STREET CLEANERS ARE OUT BETTER GET THE GARBAGE OUT BEFORE THE GARBAGEMAN COMES. NOW THAT'S ANOTHER STORY...
 

Copyright © 2004 MARSHA THOMAS
 

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Emancipation

 

Let us travel

To the depths of my Gorgeous

To the land where the grass grows wild

And the stream is always flowing

To the deep cottony place

With it's secure warmth

That drives men insane

Where time stops for some

Yet begins for others

And begins for me

 Let us travel

To the depths of my Gorgeous

Where the fertile land

Of ancient tribes

Not yet created

But soon to come

Are impatient

Waxing and waiting for her seeds to be nourished

And cared for

And groomed by the land

By the sweetness of my Gorgeous

To kiss my Gorgeous

Is to taste the nectar of innocence

It is to put feeling to the pink lips of new life

So, let us travel back to our beginning

To the depths of my Gorgeous

And define ourselves there

I am who I am

And you are here

Because of Her deep winding paths

Hidden and buried from them

Unsuspecting

Unknowing

Undeserving

And yet

We are here

In the days of Her childhood

While She was still a small bud

Growing into womanhood

Into rich pinks, and creams, and reds

That is so luscious to the taste

And adored by the masses as the delicacy that it is

It's sweetness escapes and welcomes you home

Like the rich aroma of supper at night

It forces you to open your eyes to a new day

Like the curious aroma of melon and honeysuckle in the morning

Only to be captured in the nostrils of the few chosen Deemed worthy enough to endure

That which does not kill them That which makes them stronger The Gorgeous of this woman.

 

Copyright © 2003 Tamika Jackson

 

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Can vs. Can't

 

This is a story about Can VS Can't, Can't had no dreams and procrastination was his fait Can had aspirations and lets his words speak through his actions that's why Can't be always asking, Why is life so hard it's almost destine I won't succeed, Can looked him in the eye and said you are what you believe, Can believes he can do anything he puts his mind to so he tells Can't again can't no one stop you but you.

 But Can't never fails to mention he's in a city that always rains while can is trying to tell him you only hurt when you choose the pain, when you fall out of alignment from your path that's preordained and what you wish to see different in life you must simply be the change, but see Can't, can't do this and Can't, can't do that

It's obvious that Can't didn't interrogate his doubts until they were none existent, when talking about what he couldn't do was the only time he was persistent, he never looked inside himself to see the gifts that lied within to water his seeds of greatness passed down through roots of ken

Can turned to Can't and said I used to be just like you until I realized there are no impossible dreams just our limited perception of what we think is possible, Can't started to get the picture and said I don't want to be this way so to connect mind body and soul he got on his knees to pray, asking the lord question to see what he had in store,

 He said what if opportunity doesn't knock, the lord said build a door, he said well I've been this way so long I don't think that I can change, the lord said well remain the same, until the pain of remaining the same becomes greater then the pain of change, better yet turn to Philippians 4:13 and tell me what you see, lets see it says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, hold up.... I can do all thing through Christ who strengthens me? Yeah.......... I......... can............. Do........all........... things........... through.......... Christ,........... who............ strengthens.............. me,............ I CAN!

 and that is how can't became can, can became this man

 

 Copyright © 2002  Terrell Taylor

 

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A BOGGLED MIND
 

Its inevitable that I must inhale

after I exhale

and im compelled to battle in my mentalz against fact and fiction

and its also more than likely that scientist theories are really opinions

in which we camouflage and blend in like chameleons

cause if its real can u tell me why it is

they say that 2 forces of matter cant occupy the same space

when i can feel love at the same time as hate

maybe im dreamin and or am i really awake

hiding myself from my own fate

I mean ive seen things in my sleep

or so i think i was sleep but yet and still when i think about these visions i weep

damn is that reality

or have i lost all sanity

maybe ive been side tracked

ive gotten my 12yrs plus street smarts so its not education i lack

Im living in the last days when the so called war on america is a open handed slap

we as black people have always been attacked

and we stand with each other against all odds where no ones got our backs

i am u and this is all we eva had

and yall know outcazt made the first prediction when they did that joint bombs ova baghdad

its sad when we the richest nation takin oil from iraq

I passed a beggar last night on the street sleepin on a plastic mat

how am i suppose to react

when i myself could go from public housin to corner shack

and when u see me u see this chic thats all her own runnin shit cause i know how to act

i neva had a lesson

but ive had a blessin or 2

and i know what u give out like karma will all come back on you

basically the blind can see that we all doomed

hell if its a choice between happiness in death and hell on earth which would u choose ?

 

 Copyright © 2003 Felecia A. Harry aka Felicious2u

 

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Mama Why Do They Call Me Nigger?

 

Mama why do they call me nigger?
Walking down the street, that is all I hear...that is all I see
You look in a window, there it is "WHITE Only".
Being looked down on by hateful eyes.
Verbally and pysically beaten down..suppressed.
Am not I also God's child...as you?
Do I deserve any more or any less?

Mama why do they call me nigger?
I go to school constantly in search for answers.
Why am I discriminated and met with such hate and hostility.
These hands of mine are worn...already to the bone.
An employer with employees, I am not either because I am me.

Mama why do they call me nigger?
We go to church and pray to heaven.
Listen to the words of God and say "Amen".
But we leave the church forgetting what was said.
Hate ..me...scorn me. have they forgotten what they have read?
On the bus, in a restaurant, or a store, they force to the back.
Why? Because I am different...
Misunderstood because I am Black.
 

Copyright © 2003 Damien Ford

 

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Brass Premiere

 

In the evening then

her slender figure in that long black gown,

her fair plait glimmering,

her trumpet pressed against

her breast,

her belly breathing and

her baby blues

promising.

 

Copyright © 2003 Timothy McNeal

 

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Wisdom Passes ….And So Forth

                                                                   

Coincidently we walked in the same room of this atmospheric blues

Playing roles to the tunes Fate has given us to play

You are the teacher and I the student of your futuristic views

Hoping to honor your words in the time of my wisdom passing days

Once believing that I memorized all the lessons in life to be told

But that was just another lesson in life

To be told, proving to me that it’s never too late to mold

Never too far to reach, never too dark to shed light

So much that I bathe in and upon your light to be tanned

To show to others that light walks with me

So much that I am reconstructed in to becoming a real man

To show to others that knowledge is the key

And I am the new bearer of infinite paths and decisions to choose

And at the same time I became the master instrument of this atmospheric blues

Playing tunes for the masses so they might understand they too have decisions to choose

Giving thanks to my teacher’s teacher for his futuristic views

Coincidently my teacher leaves the room and a new student arrives

Playing her role to the tunes Fate has given her to play

My duty to my position is to make an impression on her life

Hoping she will honor my words in the time of her wisdom passing days

…..and so forth
 

 Copyright © 2003 Keith Williamson
 

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        A LETTER FROM THE klan

Thank you for helping our cause,
you are a gem and a peach,
for you kill your own before its within our reach.
save us the effort, save us the sweat.
black woman destroying black babies
that arent even born yet.
See you are the reason your man will never rise,
for more than we could ever do you contribute to his demise.
You kill his daughter, you kill his son
erase his future, his legacy all undone.
so this is our letter of appreciation,
keep up the good work continue to destroy your BLACK NATION.
                                       
                                   

Copyright © 2003 Jumaane Ford
 

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THE TALKING MIRROR

 

SISTER, SISTER,

DO YOU REALIZE THAT YOU ARE A HAND SELECTED, PREDESTINED, PRECIOUS FLOWER, A QUEEN APPOINTED BY

THE KING NAMED JESUS CHRIST.

YOU ARE UNIQUELY MADE AND THERE IS ONLY ONE OF YOU.

BEAUTIFUL IS WHAT I SAY, WHEN YOU STAND IN MY VIEW.

I LOVE YOUR EYES, MESMERIZING, THEY ARE IN DEED, YOUR LIPS ARE PERFECTLY SHAPED, THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL TO ME.

AND I LOVE YOU NATURAL HAIR: JET BLACK, BRUNNET, RED OR BLONDE. AND I ALSO LOVE THE LENGTH, WHETHER IT’S SHORT, MEDIUM OR LONG.

A BEAUTIFUL QUEEN IS ALL I EVER SEE, EVEN WHEN I THINK

 OUR TRYING TO HIDE YOURSELVE FROM ME.

 WITH COVERGIRL, MAYBELLINE, MAXFACTOR, OR CLINIQUE.

I TRY TO UNDERSTAND WHY YOU’RE HIDDING YOU RADIANT SKIN THAT GOD HAS BESTOWED.

 BECAUSSE THERE ARE NO COSMETICS

 THAT COULD MAKE YOU MORE ATTRACTIVE OR OUT DO GOD’S NATURAL GLOW.

I KNOW YOU LIKE TO FEEL PRETTY, BUT THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT YOU’VE BEEN TO ME.

DON’T LET THE WORLD DICTATE WHAT PRETTY SHOULD BE. BECAUSE BEAUTY HAS ALWAYS BEEN IN THE EYES OF THE BEHOLDER, REMEMBER THIS. PLEASE.

REMEMBER THAT FEMALE THAT YOU THOUGHT WAS UGLY.BUT SHE GOT  ONE OF THE MOST HANDSOMEST GUYS

 AND YOU WONDERED WHAT WAS WRONG WITH HIS EYES?

 BECAUSE  ACCORDING TO THE WORLD’S STANDARD’S IT WAS NOTHING ABOUT HER PRETTY ON THE OUTSIDE.

BUT, SHE GOT HIM BECAUSE SHE LET HER INNER BEAUTY AND MIND CAPTURE HIS HEART, AND SHE LEARNED WHAT TRUE BEAUTY WAS. SO, SHE LOVED HERSELF FROM THE VERY START.

 

COPYRIGHT © 2003 CATHLEEN L. NANCE

 

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Beat Down on My Soul

 

This day’s journey has taken its toll.

This day’s journey weighs heavy on my soul.

People’s pain and troubles pushed in my face

made to seem like it’s my place to carry there burdens

on my plate.

This day’s journey has taken its toll.

This day’s journey weighs heavy on my soul.

Anger & pain try to cling to my soul.

People’s attitude try to take hold

Root seed of negativity in my soul.

This day’s journey has taken its toll.

This day’s journey weighs heavy on my soul.

But the blood of Jesus washes me clean from all

things seen and unseen.

This day’s journey tried to taken its toll.

This day’s journey weighed heavy on my soul.

But the blood of Jesus washes me clean and makes me hole.

So this worlds burdens no longer cling to my soul.

This day’s journey tried to taken its toll.

This day’s journey weighed heavy on my soul.

 

Copyright © 2003 Norvell Molex Jr.

 

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WOMAN

 

Your love tortures my soul

your love has me under control

but I'm tired of loving you

tired of loosing my soul

tired of being under control

of man

I am beginning to understand

there is a better plan

for my life

without man

without lies

without pain

without shame

without your ruthless game

I am beginning to know myself

getting to know my real name

Woman

who brings truth not lies

who brings joy not pain

who brings honor not shame

no connections to a ruthless game

but a woman

becoming to know her name

 

Copyright © 2003 Jannette Franklin

 

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You Calm My Soul

 

The feeling of relaxation

washes over my body

with your mere presence.

My soul is instantly calmed,

soothed and transported into tranquility.

You smile is peaceful.

Your eyes pacify me.

To hear your voice and witness your walk

is like the wind blowing through a forest of tall trees at night;

commanding, yet serene,

strong, yet placid.

You take charge with composure;

this calms my soul.

Usually in chaos, my soul is sedated.

The momentous become small and insignificant.

The seemingly substantial transformed to trifling.

What becomes consequential when we share space is;

the fact that we ARE sharing space.

Serene, undisturbed, subdued space,

space where my soul is calmed.

 

Copyright © 2003 Kimberly Buchanan

 

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"Surrender"

 

Hypnotized by the way she moves
Almost like in slow motion
She floats and glides
Her movements are like fire
And I a moth to her flame
Tangled in her web of desire
I can't do anything
But be a victim to it
Her lust is potent
And I'm intoxicated
Pleasured by the
surrender

 

 Copyright © 2003 KindredSpirit


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Beauty is skin deep

 

Beauty runs deep.

There's more to a lady that just a pretty face.

I feel that true beauty comes from within.

The quality of beauty creates diversions in my mind.

It all begins with confidence.

Any woman of color is beautiful to me.

It's an essence.

Intelligence is an element of being beautiful.

Personality makes you who you are as a person.

But, classiness can define you as elegant.

Beauty and feminine grace is written in a woman's walk.

Each dainty step flows like epic poetry.

And I want to write down every word, if only to capture your essence for a moment.

It's in her posture and in her stance.

There is no greater compliment to beauty.

To me inner beauty is captivating.

A lady is a perfectly wonderful creature, made by god.

I recognize the real meaning of beauty.

Your distinctive style varies from day to day.

To be beautiful is to let the soul become visible.

Beauty expresses itself differently in every woman.

The way you carry yourself with dignity is beautiful.

Your mind is another part of you.

Each pair of eyes are like gemstones.

The beauty of a woman signifies artistry.

When you come in contact with a man never let him bring you down by giving

you low self esteem and saying to you that you aren't beautiful.

Say it with authority. Be happy of what you're.

Being beautiful doesn't necessarily have to be drop dead gorgeous it's all

about how you see yourself.

                                                                        

Copyright © 2003 Derrick Bryant
 

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Perdida en tu Mirada
A Spanish Poem



Estoy perdida en este sentimiento. Desperadament esperando que tu te aparesca.
Sin tocarte, me pongo nerviousa. Con razon, vibren mis labios. Solo con tu Mirada, halgo dentro de mi se encendie.
La luz de tu presencia toco mis labios y me hico brillar. Esa luz contiene el brillo de mis ojos.
Solo con tu Mirada, se me calento el cuerpo. No se siente real pero te siento.
La sensacion corre en mi alma hasta el fondo de mi corazon.
Una situacion que no puedo dejar pasar. Sin logico, sin poder explicar te digo cuanto te amo.
Nuestro amor es una aventura que nunca terminara porque este sentimiento,
queda sembrado profundamente en mi corazon. Solo con tu Mirada, me provokaste a amarte.
Solo con tu mirada, perdidamente, quedo illusionada.
 

 Copyright © 2003 Maria Guzman

 

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Family Tree
 

 

We are:

A traveled breed. A Caribbean breeze.

An enslaved kind. Housekeeper.

Field hand. Sharecropper.

Struck, but prayed for the abuser.

A freed seed.

 

We:

Broke our backs. Twisted our fingers.

Still fed our spirits.

Praised loud enough for him to hear it.

Planted out roots.

 

We are:

Dark, medium, light.

Young and old. Not forgotten.

Tall and short. Fat. Slim.

And we spread our leaves.

 

We are:

Hardworking – multiple jobs, double shifts.

Devoted Christians. Devout men. Loyal women.

Rolling stones. Some missin’ … yet still listenin’.

Addicts. Alcoholics. Creative minds.

Fast men. Fast women. Abandoned children.

Loving parents. Abusers. Half blood … still blood.

And we branched out.

 

We:

Is all of us. Is us all.

All within me.

My family tree.
 

 

 

Copyright © 2004  William Life Brown
 

 

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"Agony, Not Ecstasy"



A day has gone
A week has passed,
A month will soon be over.
I can’t last too much longer,
I am getting weak at the knees.
My heart is missing your love
My body is missing your touches,
My mouth is missing your kisses
My ego is missing your compliments,
My  conscience is tearing me to pieces.
I need to ask you something.
I need to ask for...

Forgiveness.


Copyright © 2000 Eve Hall
 

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This is a poem about my mother:
 

My world is spinning
I can’t make heads or tails
The words that he said to me
Took the wind out of my sails

I thought I knew it all
I thought I understood
Dad told me what I needed to know
I guess if he didn’t, nobody would

I feel like my life was a lie
Because you had a plan
You thought having a little girl
Would land you a man

I know at some point you loved me
But with the knowledge that I face
I want nothing more
Than to escape your embrace

I’m sorry for all the pain you endured
I want you to know this is true
After everything he told me
My heart still has love for you

I admit I wish things were different
I don’t know what your life was about
I’ve spent all day today
Trying to figure you out

I don’t want to believe
the things Daddy said to me
Tell me it isn’t true, Mom
Please tell me it can’t be

I wanted you to crave me, Mom
A baby girl from above
I wanted your guidance and support, Mom
I need to feel your love

Dad said you needed me
To make sure he belonged to you
Tell me I wasn’t a trick, Mom
Tell me it isn’t true

Dad said you needed me
Money is what you adore
And now that I’m all grown up
You don’t need me anymore

 

Copyright © 2004  Nickole L. Poling
 

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Untitled:

 

The poet writes about it... The actor imitates it... The manipulator mimics

it... The philosopher consumes his/her mind with it... The musician

experiences it... the sculptor freezes it... The theologian studies it...

The atheist indirectly acknowledges it... The body of embodies it... The

senses sense it... Masculinity/femininity represent it... The elements

unveil it... Time shapes it... Process/cycles preaches it... Coincidence

reasons it... Uncertainty surrounds it... Simplicity exemplifies it...

Feelings express it... The leader follows it... Realist celebrate it...

Symbolist praise it... The life of living gives purpose to it... What is

this "it" that can be seen but cannot be seen? That can be heard but cannot

be identified? That can be felt but cannot be touched? That is unknown but

can be named? I have no idea but I know that "it" is present: Watching,

waiting, speaking and listening at all times...

                                                                            

    Copyright © 2004  Kevin D. Ervin
 

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CAVALIER

 

Mistaken beliefs of something so sure

 

May often be impure

 

To think that life is true and kind

 

Could eventually ruin the mind

 

And to be crushed with venomous passion

 

Happens more than on occasion

 

“Fake” it is the way of this wicked world

 

With deception disguised as a pearl

 

The wrath of insecurity and pain

 

Convicts the heart to be insane

 

Why does life show such unkind ways

 

Delivering such clouds to beautiful days

 

“It’s not worth it” is the inevitable solution

 

To open blind eyes to the pollution

 

The fantasies of nirvana fade away

 

Life’s pitiful reality, one might say

 

Wise is the one that refuses the foe

 

To absorb His blessings in order to grow

 

Cavalier and naïve are unwise to cherish

 

For these are why so many perish

 

Common and violated is the way of today

 

Pity for those who do not obey

 

Great is the one whose wickedness has flown

 

Pure in spirit, never to be alone

 

Copyright © 2004  Derrick Morse

 

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Black Beauty

 

Beauty so evident

Even Stevie can see it.

So I Wonder and I ponder

Upon winter’s summers’ breeze.

Could you possibly be, my Afro- ditiy?

Goddess of Love,  My Miss Almighty

Touch me I ready to feel your embrace

Rest your nappy upon my face,

And let’s trade life stories.

Look at cha!

Standing tall and proud when you walk.

Intelligent conversation when you talk.

God fearing with those child bearing hips.

Not belligerent, nor ignorant.

Just more modest; That’s you Nubian Goddess.

Help change me from contemplating on whose the hardest,

To worshiping wisdom like a goddess; that’s you Nubian Queen.

You’re a glorified spirit,

Heavenly essence you can say.

Seldom see ya twist caps or bust ’em,

Turkeys you be can stuff ‘em.

The hottest thing in the kitchen; that’s you Princess of the Nile.

Not wild, but your heart overflows.

With uncontrollable kisses,

You  chose live a better lifestyle

So I respect the fact you waitin’ to be the Mrs.

Full of Purpose, never feelin’ worthless.

More supportin’ than the bra you wear,

Always praying for the healthiness of the children you may one day bear.

May God Bless You Black Women.
 

Copyright © 2004  Asa Pressley
 

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WHISPERS

Silent whispers between us
as our souls speak so softly
one to another. Whispers
professing our love. Kisses
exchanged, tokens of my love.
My love is yours, forever
and unconditionally.
Light butterfly kisses graze
your neck. Whispers in your ear
'I love you'. As you hold me
I feel safe in your arms, safe
from the whispers of the night.
I am whole, you complete me.
Give me reason to believe
in me, in you, my soulmate.

Copyright © 2003 Keisha J. Moore
 

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Step by Step….

 

First let me start from the back of your ears…

kissing you there …. you telling me right there…

Then I slide my lips slowly to the back of your neck….

Letting you know that I’m taking you step by step…..

Turn you around it’s just me staring at your back…

Your shoulders are calling my lips to attack..

Kissing you on the sides of your breast..

Your waistline is waiting for my kiss to caress..

Going around to the arch of your back….

My kissing is working by the way you react….

So I continue on slowly I want to make this here last…here is where

my lips take a pause, and my tongue…..

slides down the crevice of your ass…

I wont keep it there, for that pleasure’s to great…

Forgive me for the moment but there’s more pleasure to create…

I part your legs slowly so my tongue can no longer reside…

I see where I want to go…to the middle of your chocolate thighs….

I bet you’ve never felt lips on your inner calf’s so let me show you….

what others have lacked

Taking my time that’s what I’ve chose…

From the top of your body to the bottom of your toes…

And just think ,what I will do… when I turn you around…….Going step by step.   
 

Copyright © 2004  Dirk Dejoine
 

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Can We Take A Walk Together

 

Can we take a walk together

A walk with our souls

A walk with no words but amidst the sweetest conversation that we’ve ever had

Can we take a walk together

A walk that will take us from this reality to eternity and on to infinity

A walk with endless possibilities

In your forever I find my future free from fear

Free from the fear of having to walk through this life alone

Can we take a walk together

A walk that leads to the outermost parts of our minds

Guided by a love that is endless like time

In your smile I find the sun

In your movements I find the moon

In your eyes I find heaven

And a peace that consumes me

As you lead me to a place called paradise

Can we take a walk together

I will follow as you lead me into new dimensions

As I experience the joy of life and we discover the things not yet seen

Our wants, our needs, our hopes, our dreams

I have reached a new summit of happiness as I am content to be in your presence

As we walk together
 

Copyright © 2003 Gia K. Andrews
 

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Death's Angel

Death beheld me in thy arms
frantic lullabies and midnight
charms.
Death there stood beside my fate
as we watched the mother moon and sun mate.
Visions of chaos brought forth my delight
as cautious winds blew away this sight.
passionate love ignited our fears
while his fingertips brushed away my solemn tears.
For we are one beneath this crate of monstrous insanity and
destroyer of thee who seek divinity in immortality.
Death caressed my cold pale lips, as we parted, gentle kiss.
I am Death
's angel and nightmares in bliss, the bloodshed of
perfection, the hollowness of his enchanted midst.


Copyright © 2004 Jessica Guzman
 

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The World Is Like

 

The world is like,

Fast cars and fast flights,

Fast girls who burn their curls for the fast world,

Fast lives, fast cash for fast rides,

only the fast survive when those fast bullets fly,

I got to keep a fast mind in these fast times,

spitten fast ryhmes about the worlds fast crimes,

fast buildings built sky high that fall faster than they rise,

bringing fast deaths with fast last breaths,

fast diets to lose weight from this fast food,

fast chemicals that make you die fast too,

fast popo wit fast guns,

that pullem out fast to shoot the black and young sons,

That grow up faster than themselves trying to get that fast wealth,

 to feed their own dieing fast in bad health,

I've got to slow the pace down before I die fast myself,

the world is like a fast pace rat race in hell.
 

Copyright © 2004 Abioseh Cole
 

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As A Womb-man Speaketh
 

 

we created this?

we created this?

we created this?

often excruciating pain

sometimes miraculous bliss

an abyss

of destined determined occurrence

through prayers ?n thoughts fervent

revolution

begins ?n the mind

maximize your time

resolve the lie

e - v - o - l -v - e 2 find

it?s U ? that U

      must get behind

it?s all a thought process

i regress

as i digest

confession through my spirit

angle it ?n sphere it

2 your particular spiritual ear

awakening

the quakening

waiting - inside your soul

prophetic truth 2 b 4told

anticipating 2 explode

its intention

      intervention

from my physical being

n2 your realm of life

 

we created this?

we created this?

we created this?

subliminal mental images

my vision is sent

through thought substantiation

no negation

of that through which we?re nurtured

explore to further

seek the truth

it is said when a soul departs

fleshly existence

sprit is weary of thriving

?n a conniving

      society

void of pure ?n

      ?N-finite balance

thus the challenge

initiates a soul questioning search

is there another earth

is there a new re-birth

we seek fulfillment through

the urge

      2 surge

enlightened energy

synergy

      screams

2 breathe

hence we create a new road

hence we create a new mode

realize

you?re chapter one million ?n ten of

      the worthiest story ever told

yet we?re

      blindly promoting regression

through ignorance of soul created expression

of that which is purposed and matters

2 focused on corporate ladders

serv?n R children up 2 the government

we?re aliens on pre-planned platters

while america?s wallet

      keeps gettin richer

            ?n fatter ? n

we keep pretendin

      it?s all OKKKKKKKKKKKKK

are U understandin? this game

that WE alone R  2 blame

4 this pain

      transcending redundantly throughout time

through a millenium of thought

      lives

we?ve been bought

oh no STOP

this defintely ain?t

      no jack ?n jill rhyme

rather a plea to stifle your time

pleeeeez reflect

lest U forget

ignore the soul ?n

you?ll be back again

my friend

it?s time for a revolution

spirit to word solution

calls the soul

come home

come home

 

we created this?

we created this?

we created this?

twin ?n singular souls

glide n2 temporal existence

persistent

2 carry out

disappointment from past lives

yet destiny is breathed ?n broken through

spiritual umbilical cords

      discord

cannot be escaped

rather embraced

      as a life lesson

missed from yester-century?s digestion

      ?n

i reach back 2

      invisible extended hands

envisioned only through

3-dimensional thought glasses

derived from soul perplexities

and so I grieve

for we can only truly C

      ?n silence

lonliness

      becomes R best friend

as we suspend

R own egotistical thoughts

though self-rewarding

?n pleasure storming

inside of us

only then can we understand

      this planet

            granted

we are here - to serve

lack of truth of self

      results in

pure unadulterated profanity

who

      what

            when

                  why

destined U

destined me

      2 b

so its time 2 seek answers

      resolution

its time 4 

      a revolution ? y?all

an eclipse of truth

uttered through ancestral voices

      structured into R molecular being

it?s calling us now

      destiny

only then

      can we c

cause

WE CREATED THIS.

WE CREATED THIS.

WE CREATED THIS.

 

revolution

 

Copyright © 2004  Ambokile

 

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“Cancer Answer (Parables)” Part 1

 

I have the answer to cancer, but you won't listen to my answer

You gave me a Basketball and told me that I can play,

And if I drop my education right now,

I can make Big money in the NBA

Then you heard that I can sing

and wanted me to build my career on that fact,

 But why try to get me to sell my Soul,
for the price of a Music Contract

Next, you gave me a rock

and told me to turn it into a pet,

But your Uncle Sam showed me how to turn

that rock into a profit,

Now my neighborhood is full of drugs,

and you won't help me stop it

Now, after all those things just mentioned,

you finally gain our full attention,

You are trying to Condition people to be

Out of Control and Consumed with Hate,

So those Tumors of Hate, can easily turn into Cancer

But this New Black generation

We won’t take your cancer for an answer

 This new generation went back

and found our correct information,

 This helped us build up an Antidote,

against your Cancerous Inflation

We confess, we never needed your approval

to perform in Sports, Music, Dancing or Acting,

Cause we were born Superior, not inferior in those fields

And we were also born Superior in the fields of Science,

Math, Medicine, and Philosophy,

But your Intellect Jealousy,

Now has those four subjects sealed and

No Scouts Go Out” to recruit in those fields.

 

Copyright © 2004 Chanell Taylor

 

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“Truly Blessed”

 

You didn’t have to wake up this morning

But still you got out of bed

Did you thank God for your eyes opening

Or did you complain instead

Did you notice that you still have workable arms and legs

Listen as your healthy lungs breathe in the air

Acknowledge those who do love you

Recognize that life is sometimes fair

So you didn’t ace the test

Your love life is a mess

Your so-call friends have let you down

Shed sorrow tears when no one is around

But HE only gives what HE knows you can stand

HE made you a survivor

Struggles give you strength

Remember you are one of his children

The storm is almost over now

One day the pain will be less

But until then know that you are truly blessed

 

Copyright © 2004 Burgandy Mathis
 

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my lips
 

my lips, so soft, so calming to any soul they touch

my lips are as soft as any pillow, like clouds to the touch

they can caress your skin, sooth your heart and comfort your bodies most intimate spots

my lips have the power to give you a special luxury to call your own

they are as full as a pure African queen

more rewarding than any stereotype and as delicate as any rose petal

my lips define me

give me feature sets my character and gives me the joy of being all the

WOMEN i am and more.................

 

Copyright © 2004 Amani
 

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One With You....

 

Spoken lyrics with no sound

Sweet silence and golden peace

Awakening to the brightest touch

Shattering emotion seen by your eyes

A soul of the roughest stone

Beauty only heard as untrue passion

Forsaken tales of love

Untamed happiness of blind dreams

Crying desire to be taken captive

By the smooth breeze of infatuation

Longing to slip into your spirit

And become one with the unknown.

 

Copyright © 2004  Marnita "HypithetikalVysionz" Wiggins
 

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THIS MASTERPIECE
 

This masterpiece

Of crystal stones

Dark ambergris candles,

Antiquated ivory ribbons

Laced like the Caribbean Islands

Round the length of my neck

Has been sculptured

By God’s fingers.

 

This masterpiece

Of warm crimson rivers

Running through the threads

Of my dark-coated veins,

And of ebony soaked wool

Resting upon my scalp

Has been sculptured

By God’s fingers.

This masterpiece

Of seashells and cowry shells,

Of scented lavender ambrosia scents

And cocoa butter aromas

Of my bright like rubies

Chocolate skin, kissed by sun,

Has been sculptured

By God’s fingers.

 

By Jane Musoke-Nteyafas

Copyright JMN ã2004
 

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Status Quo
 

And here I am

In that old familiar place on the inside.

Standing on the face of a new world on the outside.

It all made sense then.

What I was doing

Why I was going

Where I was headed

When would I let it

Be?

Things don’t change over night (true) it takes time.

No clue

To you

My mind

Feels blind

Our dawns to dusks lulled then brought the same songs.

What’s right is right, but sometimes…. what’s right is what is wrong!
 

I quit because of you!

I left because of you!

I cried

I tired

I died

You lied

We say there is strength in numbers but even you weren’t by my side.

So I found strength in this number 12/24/75.

The ultimate power is in them that stand alone.

Perfected in those willing to journey on their own.

I can’t analyze reasons anymore.

You were my winter season and now you are no more.

Now I sit on the forehead of the motherland.

Where my people dwell…the core of who I am.

Strength

Honor

Passion

Drive

Thanks for the lift!

Soup_75

 

Copyright 2004 © Antquin R. Stringer
 

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I had been sitting alone with in a rooms full of lies


               Till doubt set in and engulfed my mind

I heard yelling in the distance and felt gloom in hearts around me

               In the dark, prophetic animals told of the coming
Shaved sheep, visionary of the new world order

               you lift your paws and hooves

the earth is your playground

               god’s wrath in innocent clothing 
Cats and my dogs laugh at your arrival

               those that hear you don’t understand you

walk through your personal fears 

               I touched a vision with no hands
 

Copyright 2004 © Issac Morrison
 

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Your race and you

 

We destroy ourself by attacking our own race.

Use duragity to insult, attack and disgrace

smile at each other

with that face happy face.

we use the "F" word a lot

and point the finger at you.

We act tough with our hommies

and soft with the cops

ignorant with ourselves

too ashame to even listen.

Trying to be somebody else

acting funny but not.

Why do we hate the person inside

treat it like trash

the worst thing God create,

and sometimes our parents

dont make it easy at times.

choosing friends that are full of it

with trouble around

then we fight and break up

and betrial is you.

Having nothing good to say

when we see a brother in a tie or a suit.

Your own race hold you back

cause the world hold them two.

They say knowledge is our own power

and the only thing we have

expression is taught

you think, think, but you thought.

Dont even try to assume

cause you're in this two deep.

At the end of the day

you have no one to blame

so dont even try to point fingers

cause it's all about you.

 

Copyright 2004 © Chevaughn Jones
 

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talkin about how blacks and white should come together
 

not makin it last for one day but makin it last forever

marchin from montgomery to washington d.c

back in the days it ws a sight to see

a young black man standin for his rights

to stop the violence between blacks and whites

now many people didnt like what he said

talkin about peace

and now he's deceased

the greatest man alive and this is true

he made things possible for me and you

he knew we wasn't gonna be slaves forever

so brothers and sisters lets all stick together

 

Copyright 2004 © Tawnyieka Russell
 

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Night Time Sky

 

Blessed is the

Night time sky.

When I

Lay back and close my eyes

And I

Don my disguise

Then I

Enter a world of

Past lives

Where I

Can hide from

Prying eyes and spies

Lies and Alibis

And I

Step in the name of love.

With another partner,

To another tune

Where I can hear

Cats sing like hearing

Nat King Croon

Where I can hear

Billie hit a soft note.

Where there is

Poetry in motion.

Where there is

Po-A-Tree-in-motion.

Where there is

POETRYINMOTION!!!

And remain focused on

The madam of the night.

The mistress of Bliss.

Where I can

Reminisce on a kiss

or perhaps

Day dream about the

Taste of her lips

and shit.

Where my

Mind can take flight

Like an Owl in the night.

Where everything I envision

Is alright.

Where everything I envision

I write.

But as time rolls

Just as sure as

My crop grows

The cock crows

At five thirty.

Early.

Then it's

Back to life

Back to reality.

Back to actuality.

Back to square biz.

Back to

Damon and Tisha

You know,

My wife and kids.

Back to where my

Heart lives.

But with a

Twinkle in my eye, I

Say blessed is the

Night time sky

When I

Lay back and close my eyes

And I

Dream.

 

 

Copyright 2004 © Gilbert Mincey
 

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Black Market

 

We continue to solicit ourselves for jobs

To work for white businesses

So that we may provide black faces

To attract more black dollars

To white markets in black communities

While the fruits of our labor

Continue to be siphoned

As we struggle to find unity

And when we do get a little change

We get bouge and move out to the booney's

To live in the emerald city

That was built with black diamonds

And the interest of white banks

Because we have surrendered our resources

To companies like Kellogg’s, Del Monte, Borden’s, Procter & Gamble

This is your mind on oppression watch a black mans thoughts scramble

Never seeing the black truth

Of black voters

Behind Federal bars unable to affect the white house

That perpetuates white lies

Amongst the 50 stars

In under funded school systems

And over crowded prison systems

Using token gangsta rappers

To promote infidelity with black women

Glorifying the drug hustle

Making money for the record labels

And privately owned prison systems

Wearing throwback jerseys

Of old school black athletes

That continues to play for white overseers

As black families continue to collapse

I wish I could throw the remains of your brain

Back to the black panthers of the sixties

Stand in front of Dr King

And let the snipers bullet hit me

Lay in the streets and watch

As the police officers German shepherd bit me

March through the confederate states

And instead of freedom fighters dying

Let the klu klux klan get me

Because we refuse to exercise

Our freedom of speech our right to vote

And the ability to reinvest into our communities

Many people have died for our civil rights

Hopefully not in vain

And the absolute least we can do

Is to build, empower and maintain

A Black Market in the black communities

With black products, recycling black dollars and black power

So that we can continue to exercise the sacrifices made for us.

 

Copyright 2004 © Patrick "PJ" Davis, Starving Poets, Inc.


 

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Searchin for love



Lookin under rock
Cant find it anywhere
Its locked in a box
Im scramblin for the key
Cant seem to get it in
Love is the goal
and I just want to win
So I go out on dates
Checkin out all those faces
Everyday just goin through the basics
But everynight Im clubin at all places
Lookin at all races
Just lookin for that key
So I can be
The one who wins the trophy
The one who unlocks the box
The box of love
Sent from up above
Sent for Me to hold
To cherish
To show off
and not be embarrassed

Cause love needs my affection
Cause love needs my protection
Cause love will feed me
The fuel that i need
to be Me
To feel proud
and run through the streets screamin out loud
That I need love
I wanna be loved
And i will