Poetry

POEM OF THE WEEK

The me

I look to you, you make me who I am,

I have reached this far in life because of you.

You taught me the good and the bad.

I am determined to achieve all life has to offer.

Through your strength, I learn to be bold and strong.

I learn to appreciate struggles, as they make me a stronger and better individual.

As the sun rises in the day and makes space for the stars at night

So do I make space for disappointments.

On my face is the joy that comes from what I think of myself.

The place or position I am in now will not hinder my victory.

My life will never be the same without me.

So, today, I adore me.

- Shackera Dixon

Unwritten page

I write a verse in my head

Not yet transferred

To paper

I keep it locked up

Not a word said

Not a verse written

Left blank

Pages anew

I closed the book

For days

Laid untouched

'Til one day

My hands clutch

My mind became uneasy

In the middle hour

My book was open

Thoughts flowed

Adrenaline rush

My unwritten page

Was now full

No longer contained

Sweet release.

- Christena Williams

Christmas, the season of togetherness and love

This time of the holiday means the ending of the year, but the beginning of a new

The sounding of the silver bell,

While the sky remains blue

Families and friends join to celebrate a festive season

Built with joy and great remembrance of Christ

This is a time when we give what we can and share what we have without a price

We give thanks for what we have accomplished

And pray for better success

With hope in mind and faith at hand

That couldn't be less

We thank the Almighty for keeping us

To see another year

As we embark on a new journey

out of 2012 and into 2013

Peace, love, joy and togetherness

This is what Christmas means.

- Rona Clarke

Freedom

The sweet aroma of hope,

The joy it brings,

Silently, it has arrived

And softly, it has caressed away all my disappointment.

I have tasted life,

Feel its poverty,

Abused by its violence,

Now, I'm finally freed from its pain;

I will not look back,

A new day has dawned,

A brighter tomorrow beckons

And joy has never felt so good.

Freedom,

Freedom has come, alas!

Freedom,

Freedom from all life's pain.

The sun will shine,

Nature will sing a new song,

For a new beginning,

My life has no limit

And destiny is whatever I choose to be.

- Otis Cousins

Time drops

Time keeps falling off the wall

The clock drops

From the wall hook

There is no heavy breeze

Nor wind

Yet time keeps falling

To the ground

I grasp and reach

For the clock

Moving a suitcase to retrieve it behind the furniture

The clock is not broken

The glass on its face is secure

It stares back at me in motion

Blinking an eyelid

Another second

The minute and hour

Hands keep moving

Disregarding my concern

No matter what

Cockroach hatching or not

Time keeps beating

Marching, dragging on

Whatever fatalities

Casualties, time cares not

Shrugs its shoulder

Presses gas, speeds.

- Helen-Ann Wilkinson

Green card

Green card, work permit, business marriage

She's been waiting on her papers for 40 years.

And she still hasn't got through

Long line at the embassy

A standing marathon

It's easier to buy a space in the line

Her muscles tire, she's hypnotised

She wants to experience the mysterious anomaly

Called the American dream

Citizenship, green card, B-1 visa

The counsellor made a good mistake

He gave her the visa

The plane touched down

A 'loud' sound

Like rain water on the roof

She ran off

Working under the table like a horse in the stable

Two thousand dollars downpayment on the business marriage

She said he'd get the rest of the money when she got the work permit

From the frying pan into the fire

Sleeping on a bed of thorns, no roses

In the rain, in the snow

She thinks about sweet Jamaica

Goodbye, Uncle Sam

Farewell

She wants to come home

- Sinner Barnett