Selection of poems from our readers

 

The mixture

 

There is so much pain in the eyes

The eyes of a child once shone bright and warmed you inside

So many people are hurting and the answers are nowhere to be found

They tell us to keep praying, but the pain continues to get worse

Children eyes struggle to stay open as they receive their latest cancer dose

The inability to play with their friends only brings more tears to their eyes

The heat of the sun makes them weak as they try to stand tall to beg for something to eat

The inability to smile and share the joy of being a child

The guns increase in the streets, but nobody knows how them reach

Hatred so strong in the hearts of men

They put a gun to the head of the young and they feel nothing; their hearts are numb

The day draws to an end and they tell us pain endures just for awhile

How you tell that to a child? Whose father killed his mother then committed suicide leaving him behind

The young man works hard to bring home money to take care of his wife and child

He is held up on his way from work; every cent is taken and he cries out because his wife and child will remain hungry until he can find a few dimes

They tell us to be optimistic because better shall come

Yet with each new day comes the news that more gunshot a bus

People are hurting and we can't find the answers

People have confused the idea of love so much

They lose their dignity in the name of making a couple bucks

Can't you see the meaning of value is rarely known amongst us?

The pain in the eyes are still with us as we wipe the tears away we wonder if God still remembers us

Natural destructions flood the world and it's as if nature is tired of mankind

It can't be easy for you to believe that joy will come in awhile

Corrupt governments, abuse, poverty and no new policies

The world is at a standstill but the pain in our eyes continues to get darker

Darker yet without a glimpse of light

As the tears flow the pain and the little joy rolls on by

- Saccheen Laing

 

The Thirst

 

"I thirst," A Man said sometime ago...

The vinegar that caused the contours of Your face to

twist in reply to its rancour

Can not be worse than the Cold

HARD water that pours on every representation of me:

Surgical-thin, frigid needles

Impassively plunge into soft skins of

Thought and word and deed and need -

Puncture enthusiasm to its core,

Bleed away tenacity and fervour

And kill the Flesh inside and out.

Cold

HARD water saturates every effort

to be and do and to give,

Shrivels and withers and wears

away at childlike hope,

Freezes possibility and

Transmutes what could into it can't.

Cold

HARD water has steadily drenched the mind,

has palsied the nerve,

has dampened the will,

has atrophied the heart and has quenched the fire that once raged for your love.

- Candace McGibbon

 

The Award

 

Today,

Excitedly, I received an award

The first ever in my years of studying

What a privilege

It is from the University of Technology

Faculty of Law

For the Most Outstanding Student in Commercial Law

Oh, how I worked hard

To achieve and to have come thus far

I felt proud

My friends and family did applaud

I'm dancing, singing out loud

No cheating, no fraud

My efforts paid off

Many sleepless nights

With goals insight

Today, I walked away humbly

Accepting my prize

Congratulations were in order

For a moment, I had an anxiety disorder

It was a new high

It was well deserved

There were no ties

For this subject area, I was alone

No clone

I applaud the other awardees

We did not acquire this feat with ease

For now, we can all breathe a sigh of relief

No longer under the study stress

Today, I can say, I am truly blessed

For I have attained, this prestigious Award

For the most outstanding student in Commercial Law

- Charmaine Wallace