Poetry

POEM OF THE WEEK

Heart deep

My heart was low, my Lord

My King

For nought to you could my soul bring

All my substance was laid waste

And life had left a bitter taste

I turned to you, in you to find

Revived the hope I'd left behind

The calm assurance of your love

When none before my heart would move

I've fallen

Yes, I've fallen far

Into love's ocean's reservoir

Deep as my poor heart could go

My God, my King, thy love to know

For 'twas to me thy grace was pledged

In time of fear, my life was hedged

And certain as night follows day

My cry was heard when I did pray

All my need was found supplied

Thy care to me was bona fide

When unfaithful oft I proved

Faithful was your tender love

For all you've done and more today

With all my being this I say

I've fallen

Yes, and just how far?

Heart deep for you

My God you are.

- Sean Harrison

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Silence

When was silence a defence?

When did we start to retreat?

Tell me

When did dignity and justice disappear?

When did it not matter?

Tell me when murder was accepted?

Why have you not spoken?

Take a stand

Were you not watching the freedom fighters?

Martin Luther King

Bob Marley

Rosa Parks

Our heroes

Tell me when was silence a defence?

Am I alone?

Am I the only one?

Hurting

Where has everyone gone?

Closed mouths

Keep silence

Well, no more

If I must be alone

I must

To stand for truth

God's truth

To stand for justice

Not to withdraw

I will pay the consequences

Am I in fear?

Sure

It's the human sensitivity

But it's through fear that courage is built

Can I withstand?

At least I will try

But I guarantee

That everyone will know

That I spoke out

And that silence was never my defence.

- Christena Williams
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Co-exist

The cold face I see in the mirror is not me

Deep beyond these callous black eyes rests a core

Far apart from the ghoulish white

Remains someone unseen

Oblivious to the stranger

An essence lost to many

The essence forever trapped

Imprisoned

A beast

It rattles the chains of captivity

Resisting with veracity these constraints of oppression

Resilient, this feral creature

Like wildfire, its rage shows no prejudice

But unlike fire, it does not gradually ebb into silence

A fundamental nature whose spirit is difficult to confine

A collusion of true grit, concentrated rage and a hint of lunacy

A creature of brilliant composition

However, a composition which leads to opacity

Communication is key in any relationship

But how must one communicate with what he does not comprehend?

How can we coexist?

How can we develop a symbiotic relationship?

One which is mutually advantageous

It is not possible to co-exist in obscurity

Such a relationship is fleeting and frail

One being must dominate.

- Keino Robinson
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Same mistake

I sit here pondering

In the middle of the night

Should I take up the phone?

Or should I just leave him alone?

He said he wanted space

Needed time to think

But how much time does one really need?

Two weeks and still no word

Myriad things rushing through my head

Like a perennial stream that never ends

I can't believe this is all coming true

I have fallen for it again

Foolishly, I sit here in the same spot

Doing the same things

But this is the last

For what happened twice

Will not be repeated

For only a fool will repeat the

Same mistake thrice.

- Theresa Peters
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The contrast

You taught me to smile, yet you faced me with a frown

You helped me stand up, yet you're tearing me down

You taught me to love then broke my heart

You gave me a life then you tore it apart

You removed the foundation after building my life

You told me to fight then took away my weapon

You tore down the throne I worked to sit upon

You took my strength then expected me to be strong

You knew I was right yet you gave me the wrong

You made me brave in the midst of great danger

Now I can't trust you

I'd rather be with a stranger

You taught me to fly then you broke my wings

You took away my voice

Why then teach me to sing?

You made me press on then you suddenly quit

You watched me fail then told me to go back for it

You said cross life's river

Knowing there was no bridge

Trusting you completely

I took up such great challenge

As the night grew darker and the waters came down

You walked away and left me

Can't swim, I'll just drown.

- Violet Stewart
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Bring back the love

Bring back the love

The love we had in time long gone

Why did we let it go so fast?

When brothers help brothers

Sisters help sisters

Neighbours would come together by looking out for each other

Those days are gone

We don't care for life anymore

Look at our country and the beauty that we have

Let's join hands and hearts and do our part

We don't need any more gunshots

We don't need any more lives lost

Peace, love and unity, that's what we need

How can we be comfortable when mankind stops praising God and starts serving the devil?

Man to man is unjust

We don't know who to trust

Our solution is not the government or politician

Our solution is Jesus Christ, the heavenly one

Mankind must give him its heart, then peace and love will never depart

Some might say it's a waste of time

Our security forces can't control crime

But it's not a one man thing

Churches must stop criticising each other, break those barriers and come together

There is a God who is never busy,

He's always on the line,

And you can call on him anytime

God can do all

We could ever ask or think of him

He's not afraid to grant it to us

Although time is hard

Life still nice 'a yaad'

Side by side, we must stand and take back our country

Our Heavenly Father up above is willing and able to help us bring back the love.

- Antoinette Francis