Poetry 3

Strength of man

The nights are short

His sun-pelting days long

Shirt sticking with sweat to his broad back

Strength of man

His little ones must head out early morn

And their mammy and mammy's mammy

Must eat, wear clothes, must use pomade and talc

Strength of man

His palms solid; lined with corns

His pickaxe rising and falling against boulders

Giving free-handedly cash and kind

In avoidance of 'Wailing and Gnashing of teeth'

Strength of man

- Cleopatra Young

_________________________

I sit and think

And my thoughts are the only things my soul can hear

In my solitude, I cry out but it's deafening silence

No one hears

And no one has the power to discern my tears

I search the multitude yet I see no one

I am blind, naive, estranged

And attempting to relieve the pain of being

I try to become

To belong

Reason is useless

In explaining my difference

It governs the universe, but leaves me isolated

I cry while clinging to hope

Hoping that the mystery may take care of me

- Orette C. Burke

__________________________

My imaginary dream

You walked in the room

You told me I couldn't stay there anymore

I felt like I was awake but positive I was dreaming

I looked in the mirror three times

And the three times I washed my face

I closed my eyes

And slapped my cheeks with my trembling hands

But nothing happened

I went and cuddled in bed

I forced myself to sleep

When I awoke I was furious

I was in the same bed, same room, your same T-shirt

That's when I realised I was far away from dreaming

144 days of promises was all I got from you.

- Olisha Warren

______________________________

Suicidal thoughts

Save me from this enduring pain

Save me before I rot in jail

Save me, my soul is precious

I did not gain it on my own

the perils of time and the he, the she

and I guess, if I continue like this, 'di ole lady'

save me, before I reach my final resting place

with no chance to redeem, you've failed

save me before shattered hearts cry

mourning members ask why

save me

before my chest going stops in and out, take me out!

While my mother can still pout

Save me before all hope is gone

before the hearse passes through Save me

while mi can still call, doan mek mi baby bawl -

before yuh save mi

Save me

Before I take what is not mine.

- Rebecca Mundle

_______________________

I will rise

You look me with a scorn; you call me an insignificant figure

You think I'm detestable and an outcast, to put it mild

You insist I'm no good

I'm a liability to society

With no sense of purpose and not a streak of sobriety

I am characterised by my geographic location

And because of my human weakness, you spew out only maledictions

Your description suggests I am less than human

Fitting of only the lowest classification

While you examined my faults, I was consulting my abilities

You condemned me when I fell but I was repenting of my sins

Your insult could not deter me, because I gave you no authority

So I keep on moving forward with precision and alacrity

I will rise, believe me I will

When you throw your fiery darts I invoke my prayerful skill

It was sometimes embarrassing nevertheless my motivation

When you booed my tiresome effort, heaven was cheering me on

I never considered your taunts, you laughter was my cheerleader

And when you celebrated my fall

I used it to take a breather

I will seize my chance

Yes, you modern society

I am willing to take my runny nose, so away with your charity

I will rise, oh yes I will

Shaking off your dirt and moving upward still

- Marlon Whyte

__________________________

Crashing gratefulness

Out of nowhere he appeared

As thoughts, lights and my life flashed before me

In that split minute, or second, it seemed like forever

As I waited, knowing that at his speed

It was fate

My stepping on the pedal

Making a 270-degree turn

Would not slow his pace

Reverse the hands of time

It would not stop him

As he confessed to have lost his breaks at a stop sign

That he had not paused to read

As he made his way into the side where my heart resides

Bruised my already unstable mind

And left black and blue spots to stain my limbs through time

Fortunately

He missed my spine and behind

Gosh! The needles and the pills

The unnerving stiffness and numbness in my limbs

All make me miserable as hell

But I am grateful to the passers-by

Who lent a shoulder and offered a ride

To take me to safety; though I wouldn't leave my friend behind

All I can think of, is how lucky I was

That that apologetic speeding fellow with his engine gushing oil

Had not rammed us, a few more inches to the back side of our hot ride

- Tanisha Bent

_______________________________

Hidden truth

My soul bleeds

I need to be free

Anxious days

Sleepless nights

Waves of endless anger

gripped and kept hold of me

I walked a thousand miles

poisoned my mind

with futile fantasies

to run away

and hide

in another flesh

and become a part of life

My image isn't my heart

The dark colour of my skin

is no predicament for what is within

Amongst the living

I am a walking dead

detached from the Earth

I was once a rare beauty

now

I am a disfigured creature instead

Mournful steps to my grave

A rugged heart

filled with agony and pain

My skin coated with scars

Battered

by the hands of my pale loved one

no longer a husband

but my red demon

with a face stained with bitterness

He pummelled me

with his bare fist

I married a beast

I

a flightless bird

in the devil's nest

trapped in a bloody wilderness

13 years of fighting

Where is my freedom?

- Makeda Bawn

_____________________

Holding on to you

Oh, the signs of life

They are all around me

With every heartbeat

I feel so alive

I am joy and sadness

Peace and madness

If I can fight just a little longer

I know it will make me stronger

So I'll keep holding on to what I believe

Oh, I believe in you, Lord

Hope seems hard to find

Yet you give me peace of mind

Give me strength to fight

For these are the times when doubt tries to creep in

Oh Lord I want to bask in the soul-soothing light

Let thy light within me shine

Oh gracious spirit dove divine

Remove all my guilty fears

With atoning blood and love

- Tamaya Tate