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My Destiny by Marina
(taken from the book, "If I Decide To Fly")
As a human you listen to my dreams
offering advice for my direction
or a change for my theme. You
tell me the best way to get through doors
leading me down paths you've led others before,
but I know if I aspire and pray to my source
there isn't an existing force
that can alter my destiny
or change my God's course. So
I appreciate the guidance you offer me,
but I live my life knowing
that if it's in the Master's plan
then it shall one day be.
My Destiny
by Marina
Website: http://www.marinathepoet.com
A Poem for Sisters
Author Unknown
Time passes.
Life happens.
Distance separates.
Children grow up.
Jobs come and go.
Love waxes and wanes.
Men don't do what they're supposed to do.
Hearts break.
Parents die.
Colleagues forget favors.
Careers end.
BUT - Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles
are between you. A girlfriend is never farther away than needing her.
When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by
yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley's rim, cheering
you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf,
and waiting with open arms at the valley's end.
Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you, or
come in and carry you out.
Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters,
sisters-in-law, mothers, grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins and
extended family all bless our life.
When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the
incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead, nor did we know how much we
would need each other.
Every day, we need each other still.
Each Chance They Get
by Clarence E. Motley
I'll admit that it's a shame
That you've been reduced to just a name
And they separate you...each chance they get
Plus it seems, where you can go has been restricted
And no one cares that your rights have been affected
And they separate you...each chance they get
For you should be able to go where you want and do as you please
Venture here and there at the greatest of ease
But they separate you...each chance they get
Your benefits are less and your bills are higher
And to say I’m compassionate...I’d be a liar
And they separate you...each chance they get
But let's make it plain, for it's not a joke
If I happen to die from your second-hand smoke
'cause I’m happy they separate us...each chance they get
Meet Robin Stansbury
My Papa was a good man who supported his family during the depression making the best moonshine in the state. My family grew up mean and tough..."Halfbreeds" who ran moonshine by night, and sent their children into the hills to hide from the revenuers with the copper from the stills by day. My father was a farmer whose farmland lies fallow, while the same government pays them to not plant crops, and kill a way of life cherished by generations. The same government that knows children starve in this world everyday, while it pays people not to grow food that could save the lives of millions. Where is this coming from? The new "Boom" in our small town was heard, seen, and smelled tonight, when one of the many gas wells that have given new life to farmers who are leasing the mineral rights to rich farmland rocked our world, showing that sometimes man and nature don't mix.
Yes. I am a hillbilly. I am a half-breed. My family were outlaws. Most of them still are. Thank Usen. My God goes by a different name from yours, and my skin does not look like yours, but I am no more and no less than any of you. This is the only sense I can make of the world in which we live. A world where governments by the people and for the people allow farm land to burn, while children starve. My Poem....
Revenuers
by Robin Stansbury
Mama said the government was bad.
The damned revenuers done took all that Papa had,
And the cotton wouldn't grow,
But the corn did, dontcha know.
The cotton gins once made this place boom,
But the government paid the farmers for their doom,
And now the cotton doesn't grow,
And neither does the corn, dontcha know.
Then, came the gas wells, again the boom was on,
But the gas well exploded tonight, and now the gas is gone,
And the farmer is paid not to plant crops,
While people starve until the last man drops.
Mama said the government was bad.
The damned revenuers done took all that Papa had.
(c) Stansbury 2007
Contant Robin rstansbury1@hotmail.com
H. Renay Anderson
BIO
H. Renay Anderson has lived in the Austin, Texas area for over 20 years. She is originally from the Bay area of Northern California. She worked for IBM in Quality Assurance and in Operations for over ten years. She moved to Austin, Texas while working for IBM. She decided to write her first book (The After Party- Why Women Wear Shoes They Know Will Eventually Hurt Their Feet) back in 2002, shortly after she received her Masters degree in Organizational Management. She wanted to start a new chapter in her life. A chapter where she was doing what made her happy. Writing poetry has always been and outlet for her even as a small girl. It delights her when readers appreciate the meanings behind her poems. She often refers to the quote "The ultimate of being successful is the luxury of giving yourself the time to do what you want to do" Leontyne Price, 1976.
Latest News
This is a great time for H. Renay Anderson. In August of 2006 she had a short story published in the book ‘Chicken Soup for the African American Woman’s Soul’. The title is ‘Walking the Lessons of Life’. Next my first book ‘The After Party…’was re-released by Mardigras Publishing in November of 2006. This was the second publication of "The After Party-Why Women Wear Shoes They Know Will Eventually Hurt Their Feet"! The first book was published in 2003. It is no longer in production. The book has since then been updated(more sizzling details)and republished in 2006 by Mardi Gras Publishing as an Ebook.
Then she had another story accepted in the book ‘How I Met My Sweetheart’ by Amani Publishing. It will be released in February 2007. In addition she had a poem accepted for the upcoming 2007 release of ‘Gumbo for The Soul: The Recipe for Literacy in the Black Community’ Anthology #1.
H. Renay Anderson has two new books coming this Summer and Fall 2007! One is a follow-up to "The After Party..." it is titled "Trying on New Shoes"! The other one is titled "Collapsible Days"
Destiny
Like a pony with blinders on trying to learn to go straight
All while life keeps pulling you in a direction
that you dare not go in
Happiness eludes you sometimes when you
think you deserve it
Yet it is there when you least expect it to be
and when you appreciate it the least
Coming to an understanding of self when it is
almost too late to pursue your dreams
Yet, persistence is ever present
Leaving pain behind for a brighter future filled
with achievements
Sharing it with no one who has time to
appreciate your past hurdles or snags
Exhaustion takes over in place of celebration
when you reach your destination
Finally waking up to accept your place in
destiny
Website:
http://clix.to/renay
email:
renay6331@yahoo.com
Poetry Spotlight is actually a verse of Psalms, fitting for this Christmas Season
PSALM 119
ALEPH
BLESSED are the undefiled in the way,
who walk in the law of the Lord.
2. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
3. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.
4. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts dilligently.
5. O that my ways were directed to keep they statues!
6. Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all they commandments.
7. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned they righteous judgments.
8. I will keep they statutes: O forsake me not utterly.
Being Black in the Work Place
Anonymous
They take my kindness for weakness.
They take my silence for speechless.
They consider my uniqueness strange.
They call my language slang.
They see my confidence as conceit.
They see my mistakes as defeat.
They consider my success accidental.
They minimize my intelligence as "potential".
My questions mean I'm "unaware".
My advancement is somehow unfair.
Any praise is preferential treatment.
To voice concern is discontentment.
If I stand up for myself, I'm too defensive.
If I don't trust them, I'm too apprehensive.
I'm defiant if I separate.
Yet I'm fake if I assimilate.
So, constantly I am faced with work place hate.
My character is constantly under attack.
Pride for my race make me "Too Black",
Yet I can only be me, and who am I you might ask?
I am that Strong Black Person...Who stands
on the backs of my ancestor's achievements.
With an erect spine pointing to the stars with pride,
dignity, and respect. This lets the work place in
America know that I not only possess the ability
to play by the rules, I can make them as well!
The Pressure Is On
by Monique Nicole Fox
The pressure is on but
Not by my peers.
The pressure is on by God the Almighty.
His wrath, rod and staff is what I fear.
The pressure is on each and every day.
His commandments and words I do obey
And are kept mentally near.
The pressure is on to live a good and righteous life;
One that is spiritual and always sincere.
Thank you God for your pressures.
It is You I revere.
The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these. ~Isaiah 45:7~
For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited), "I am the LORD, and there is none else. ~Isaiah 45:18~
I am the LORD, when I make the land a desolation and a waste because of all their abominations which they have committed. ~Ezekiel 33:29~
I am the light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life. ~John 8:12~
I am the one. ~John 9:9~
I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. ~John 15:5~
I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. ~Revelation 1:8~
Email:
mnfoxx1110@yahoo.com
imagine peace
by mocha sistah
Imagine peace in the middle east
instead of blood shed
and tears of families.
Imagine peace.
Imagine Peace in the domestic cities
across this great land we call AMERICA!
Imagine all ethnicities getting along
despite our cultural differences
and embracing our equal diversities.
Imagine peace.
Imagine peace instead of hate
which divides all of us.
Trust we cannot get along lonely in this world
without all the gifts and resources we have to share...
Don’t you care?
Don’t you want to learn how to walk in humility?
Don’t you want to live with positivity?
What would it hurt to take a little time
to get to know someone who is not of
your neighborhood or even your part of the city?
Peace instead of pain.
Peace instead of black rain.
Peace instead of myths about youth who
get lumped in with criminals and rapists.
Peace instead of negative vibes that
only divide us.
Peace instead of pre-judgments of people
you haven’t taken time to get to know.
Peace, peace, peace.
Imagine what our world would look like
with a little more peace.
(c) 2006 by Mocha Sistah
Website:
http://www.mochasistahonline.com
Shai Lynn Davis resides in Detroit and is currently working on two books of poetry. She is the winner of the October 2005 Let's Talk Honestly poetry contest. Shai is an avid reader and loves to write poetry whenever she can. She is in love with words and has a passion for creating beautiful works. You can check out her poetry and other writing on her blog at: http://drawn2words.blogspot.com
In Too Deep
by Shai Lynn Kai Davis
I was far away from land
The water had gotten deep
Swimming was not an option
I had to tread water and chart out
My path to shore
I was just there
Me, floating in love
Loving the feel of the sun on my face
The waves lulling me to sleep
I was at peace
Then, I slipped up and decided
To swim ahead
Excited, I wanted to see
The next phase of the adventure
I ignored the signs
Telling me a boat was needed
Past the marked off area
I was geeked up
I had never felt this way
All the while
I hung onto your words
Your kisses
The declarations of love
I was apprehensive
I trusted you when you said
Trust me
Then you disappeared on our journey
I went deep sea diving
Looking for you
Thinking your were hurt, lost
Next thing I knew I was pulled
Under by a current
I surfaced looking for you
The sun in moving
That is west so I acclimate myself
I move thrught the waves
Knowing land will be in sight soon
As I got closer to shore
I see you sunning
Dried off, safe
Laying in the lap
Of someone else
You looking at me like a fool
Acting like innocence is your middle name
Poems from the Heart
By Annette Hoggs-Jackson
Hoggs-Jackson says, “Poems from the Heart” was inspired by God. Indeed, the reader will have a divine experience as he/she reads this work, which has poems relating to God, forgiveness, dating and depression.
“Trust in Him,” implores the believer to look to Jesus in trying times; “Are You Connected?” says when life is difficult, “Get connected and give God a ring.” “The Homeless One,” just might cause a tear to slide from an unsuspecting eye, and “Divorce” offers an alternative to disrupting the family unit.
Hoggs-Jackson talks of, “The Tongue” perhaps referencing Psalm 57:4, “My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword.”
An excellent read!
Graveyard Gifts
I gave you gifts and here you sit,
You let those gifts lie in a pit.
You come to church for years and sit on a pew,
Yes, that is what you do.
I gave you gifts for you to move when I tell you to,
Not to keep your gifts dormant inside of you.
Life passed you by, your gifts you did not use,
Now your life is over, and you are through.
YOUR GIFTS WENT TO THE GRAVE WITH YOU.
Website:
www.annettehoggs-jackson.com
Vietnam Revisited?
Was the “Gulf War” another Vietnam?
Or did Saddam release a chemical
or biological bomb that never alarmed?
Coming back to America with such joy.
Now we could play with our family and toys.
Little did we know that we would
experience Vietnam revisited.
We would go down to register
with the VA as if we were enlisted.
People did not understand and some tried to hide.
But I must stand tall and keep my stride.
For I have a family and a child.
How will my exposure harm
the offspring who is mild?
For the spouses, children and significant others.
Will they go through the same sickness
as all the military brothers.
Lets hope that one day it will all be over.
So that we will all be able to pick four leaf clovers.
Or if we can’t do anything all.
Lets hope that Vietnam revisited
will not affect y'all.
by William J. Simmons, Sr.
Website:
http://www.geocities.com/wjsimmons_2000/index.html
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POETRY SELECTIONS
click images
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Who Will Cry for the Little Boy?
by Antwone Quenton Fisher
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The Rose That Grew from Concrete
by Tupac Shakur
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The Complete Collected Poems of Maya
by Maya Angelou
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Foolish/Unfoolish: Reflections on Love
by Ashanti |
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Bronx Masquerade
by Nikki Grimes |
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The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes...
by Langston Hughes |
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Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea: Poems and...
by Nikki Giovanni |
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Phenomenal Woman
by Maya Angelou |
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For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf |
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Love to Langston
by Tony Medina |
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Jelly Roll |
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God's Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse...
by James Weldon Johnson |
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Honey, I Love and Other Love Poems...
by Eloise Greenfield |
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And Still I Rise
by Maya Angelou |
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Blessing the Boats: New and Selected...
by Lucille Clifton |
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Harlem: A Poem (Caldecott Honor Book)
by Walter Dean Myers |
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American Dreams
by Sapphire |
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Locomotion
by Jacqueline Woodson |
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Hip Logic (National Poetry Series)
by Terrance Hayes |
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Omeros
by Derek Walcott |
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Love Poems
by Nikki Giovanni |
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Selected Poems
by Gwendolyn Brooks |
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A Tisket, a Tasket
by Ella Fitzgerald |
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Transbluesency:
Selected Poetry
by Imamu Amiri Baraka |
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