Galatians 2:20

Say What You Mean

For You...

Sisters

me and you be sisters.

we be the same.

me and you

coming from the same place.

me and you

be greasing our legs

touching up our edges.

me and you

be scared of rats

be stepping on roaches.

me and you

come running high down purdy street one time

and mama laugh and shake her head at

me and you.

me and you

got babies

got thirty-five

got black

let our hair go back

be loving ourselves

be loving ourselves

be sisters.

only where you sing,

I poet. 

Lucille Clifton

Good Friday

What makes Good Friday good?” you ask.

A challenge! A rather daunting task.

Some may dismiss it with a shrug and a smirk,

And consider it another day off work.

Others, religious, pious as such,

Take a few minutes for a mournful watch;

Merchants unlock their doors with glee,

Anticipating the pre-Easter shopping spree.

A bunny here, a chocolate egg there,

Symbols of a society that doesn’t care.

“Care?” you say, “Do you mean me?”

“What’s there to care; how can this be?”

It’s the cross, you forget, that rugged wood,

That makes Good Friday eternally good.

What’s so good about the death of an ancient man,

Who died long before my life began?

This man, who on this earth once trod,

Was not only man, but the Son of God.

That wood, that tree, that old rugged cross,

Was the symbol of gain and the symbol of loss.

To those who believe, it is the promise of gain;

The hope that, like Jesus, we’ll rise again!

For the skeptic, the doubter, the meaning is loss;

An eternal gulf, which no one can cross.

Good Friday is good, because of the death

Of Jesus the Savior, who gave His last breath

So you, friend, and I, could be cleared of our guilt,

Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb that was spilt.

Mourn not, my dear soul, for the death of the Lamb,

For that cross made the bridge to the Great I AM.

Christ paid the price, rose again to God’s side,

And brought us next Sunday: the Resurrection-tide!

~by Alan Allegra~

Nature

I watch the waves crash in, breaking on the shore
All their anger dispensed on the oceans floor
I look at the sky so blue, sun shining so bright
Spreading heat and happiness with its blinding light
Long blades of grass swaying in the gentle breeze
Dancing in rhythm with so much ease
Look up at the trees hearing the singing of the birds
Happily chirping singing at ease without words
Sitting here holding my knees to my chest
Watching and hearing nature at it s best
I ponder how Nature could get it so right
When we have let Natures lessons get so out of sight
We hold our anger, let our happiness slip away
Making our survival a struggle each and every day
We have forgotten the little things that mean so much
Like the laughter, the freedom, and someone’s loving touch
If only I could make people stop, watch and listen to Natures tale
We could all sit back happily and our world would not be so frail
In each others existence in harmony we could all survive
I’m sure like the sun, wind, tree, and birds our lives we could revive
If only we let nature take its course in each and every one of us each day and night
As I sit and ponder how Nature got it so right and we lost all sight.

© Linda

He Doesn't Ask For Much...

Four Glimpses of Night

I

Eagerly

Like a woman hurrying to her lover

Night comes to the room of the world

And lies, yielding and content

Against the cool round face

Of the moon.

 

II

 

Night is a curious child, wandering

Between earth and sky, creeping

In windows and doors, daubing

The entire neighborhood

With purple paint.

Day

Is an apologetic mother

Cloth in hand

Following after.

 

III

 

Peddling

From door to door

Night sells

Black bags of peppermint stars

Heaping cones of vanilla moon

Until

His wares are gone

Then shuffles homeward

Jingling the gray coins

Of daybreak.

 

IV

 

Night’s brittle song, sliver-thin

Shatters into a billion fragments

Of quiet shadows

At the blaring jazz

Of a morning sun.

Frank Marshall Davis

A Song In the Front Yard

I’ve stayed in the front yard all my life.

I want a peek at the back

Where it’s rough and untended and hungry weed grows.   

A girl gets sick of a rose.

I want to go in the back yard now   

And maybe down the alley,

To where the charity children play.   

I want a good time today.

They do some wonderful things.

They have some wonderful fun.

My mother sneers, but I say it’s fine

How they don’t have to go in at quarter to nine.   

My mother, she tells me that Johnnie Mae   

Will grow up to be a bad woman.

That George’ll be taken to Jail soon or late

(On account of last winter he sold our back gate).

But I say it’s fine. Honest, I do.

And I’d like to be a bad woman, too,

And wear the brave stockings of night-black lace   

And strut down the streets with paint on my face.

Gwendolyn Brooks

Jesus, I Love Calling Your Name

Chorus: 
Jesus, Jesus, I love calling Your name. 
Jesus, Jesus, everyday Your name is the same.
Verse 1: 
When the troubles surround me, 
and I didn’t have to despair; 
Lord, You told me that You’d be right there. 
Seems like all my problems, they have just begun; 
but I’m not gonna worry about it no more, You’ve already won. 

Chorus 

Verse 2: 
I remember the time when I felt so all alone, 
when I needed You, Jesus, all I had to do was call. 
I called You in the morning, 
I called You late at night, 
but when I went on my knees and called You, Lord, 
You made everything alright. 

Chorus

Be Kind To Everyone

What If I am A Black Woman

What If I am A Black Woman

Is it a disease?

 Well, if it is, I sure hope its catching 

Because they need to pour it into a bottle, 

label it, and sprinkle it All over the people

men and women who Ever loved or cried, 

worked or died For any one of us.

So...

What if I am a Black woman? 

Is it a crime? Arrest me! 

Because I'm strong, but I'm gentle, 

I'm smart, but I'm learning, 

I'm loving, but I'm hateful. 

And I like to work because 

I like to eat and feed and clothe 

and house Me, mine 

and yours and everybody's, 

Like I've been doing for the past 300 years.

What if I am a Black woman? 

Is it insane? Committ me!! 

Because I want Happiness,not tears; 

Truths not lies; Pleasure not pain; 

Sunshine not rain; A man not a child!

What if I am a Black woman? Is it a sin? 

Pray for me! And pray for you too, 

If you don't like women of color 

because we are... Midnight Black, 

Chestnut Brown, Honey Bronzed, 

Chocolate Covered, Cocoa Dipped, 

Big Lipped, Big Breasted, and BEAUTIFUL 

all at the same time!

So what if I am a Black Woman? 

Does it bother you that much because 

I want a man who wants me... 

Loves me and trusts me, and respects me 

And gives me everything because 

I give him everything back, PLUS!!

What if I am a Black woman? I've got rights, 

same as you! I have worked for them, 

died for them, played and laid for them, 

On every plantation from Alabama to Boston and Back!

What if I am a Black woman? 

I love me, and I want you to love me too, 

But I am as I've always been, 

Near you, close to you, beside you, 

strong giving, loving,

For over 300 years, Your Black woman...Love me!  

Author Unknown                                                                     

Love

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

The free bird leaps

on the back of the wind

and floats downstream

till the current ends

and dips his wings

in the orange sun rays

and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks

down his narrow cage

can seldom see through

his bars of rage

his wings are clipped and

his feet are tied

so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with

fearful trill of

the things unknown but

longed for still and

is tune is heard on

the distant hill for the caged bird sings

of freedom

The free bird thinks of another breeze

the trade winds soft through the sighing trees and

the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn and

he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams his

shadow shouts on a nightmare scream his

wings are clipped and his feet are tied so

he opens his throat to sing

The caged bird sings with

a fearful trill of

things unknown but

longed for still and

his tune is heard on

the distant hill for

the caged bird sings

of freedom. 

Maya Angelou

A Woman’s Beauty

The beauty of a woman

Is not in the clothes she wears,

The figure that she carries,

Or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes,

Because that is the doorway to her heart,

The place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole

But true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.

It is the caring that she lovingly gives,

The passion that she shows,

And the beauty of a woman

With passing years only grow

~Unknown

For My Daughter

When I die choose a star

and name it after me

that you may know

I have not abandoned

or forgotten you.

You were such a star to me,

following you through birth

and childhood, my hand

in your hand.

When I die

choose a star and name it

after me so that I may shine

down on you, until you join

me in darkness and silence

together.

from Against the Evidence: Selected Poems 1934-1994

Wesleyan University Press, Middletown, Conn.

Copyright 1993 by David Ignatow.

The World...

Thank You

Impossible...

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” 

― Muhammad Ali

Thank God For The Difficult Child

The difficult teen will do things their own way, in their own time, regardless of your wishes or schedule.
The good teen will do what you ask, when you ask, even though they may complain a little.
It's easy to love a good child.

The difficult teen will try your patience and understanding every day. They will challenge the depths of your love, the core of your soul numerous times throughout each day, until you wonder if you have any strength left.
The good teen will try your patience and understanding from time to time. They will challenge your ability to see just how many extracurricular activities you can cram into each day, until you wonder if you have any energy left.
It's easy to love a good child.

The difficult teen will sneak out of the house at night to buy drugs, only to have the police knock at your door at 3am on a work night so you can come down to the station to pick them up. They've been arrested.
The good teen will sneak out of the house at night (on a weekend) to TP the soccer coach's house after a big win, only to go back to the coaches house the next morning. To help clean up.
It's easy to love a good child.

The difficult teen will skip school, even when you drop them off out front and watch them walk inside. No matter how hard a parent tries to help or force a child, the difficult teen may not graduate from High School. The difficult teen won't be going off to college.
The good teen might consider skipping a class or two, but doesn't want to get caught. A parent doesn't have to make an effort to keep a good kid in school. The good teen ponders which college they should attend.
It's easy to love a good child.

The difficult teen is often withdrawn from the family. They don't smile a lot, they don't get real enthusiastic about much. A parent's heart breaks a little more every day.
The good teen is often tells family about things that happened during their day. They smile and laugh a lot, and are enthusiastic about a lot of things. A parent's heart soars a little more every day.
It's easy to love a good child.

So many people give up on the difficult teen. Write them off as being unworthy of their efforts. Distrust, because they don't understand. Give up because it's the easiest thing to do.
So many people cheer for the good teen. Try to help them in any way they can. Trust them, because it's not hard to do so. Encourage them to succeed because they seem to want to.
It's easy to love a good child.

It's easy to love the good teen. The parent's of them, thank God their life is going as planned. That they have good children to love. Sure, a parent loves their good teen unconditionally. But they haven't really had to put that to the test. They haven't had to test the limits of their understanding and forgiveness. Their souls and faith are intact because they haven't been shattered. Do they realize that the most important things in life are the little things? The path of the good teen may not be exactly what a parent would have chosen, but they know that everything will turn out all right.
I thank God that you have a good child.

It's not easy to love the difficult teen. But I thank God for them, for without the difficult teens, how can we possibly understand what unconditional love really is? How would we know just how deeply we can love, and how easily we can forgive? How would we otherwise test the endurance of our souls, the depths of our faith? How else would we realize just how strong we really are? How else would we know what is TRULY important in life.
The path of the difficult teen may not be what a parent would have chosen, but it is the hand that they were dealt.
I thank God that I have a difficult child.

Bob Marley On Love

Relationship

Look Beyond "Autism"

Mistake

Scene from "Misfits"

Just because you make a mistake doesn’t mean you are a mistake. 
       - Georgette Mosbacher

Accept Yourself

Hallelujah!!!!

Smile

Smile

 We all should strive to make someone "smile"....

How Do I Love Thee

Misfits

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. 
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height 
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight 
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace. 
I love thee to the level of every day's 
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight. 
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right; 
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise. 
I love with a passion put to use 
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith. 
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose 
With my lost saints, I love thee with the breath, 
Smiles, tears, of all my life! and, if God choose, 
I shall but love thee better after death.

Emily Barrett Browning

Are You Trapped?

Life Is Good

Teach When You Can

Someone Like You (Adele)

I heard that you're settled downThat you found a girl and you're married nowI heard that your dreams came trueGuess she gave you things I didn't give to you

Old friend, why are you so shy?Ain't like you to hold back or hide from the light

I hate to turn up out of the blue, uninvitedBut I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight itI had hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be remindedThat for me, it isn't over

Never mind, I'll find someone like youI wish nothing but the best for you, tooDon't forget me, I begged, I remember you saidSometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts insteadSometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead

You know how the time fliesOnly yesterday was the time of our livesWe were born and raised in a summer hazeBound by the surprise of our glory days

I hate to turn up out of the blue, uninvitedBut I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight itI had hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be remindedThat for me, it isn't over yet

Never mind, I'll find someone like youI wish nothing but the best for you, tooDon't forget me, I begged, I remember you saidSometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead, yeah

Nothing compares, no worries or caresRegrets and mistakes, they're memories madeWho would have known how bittersweet this would taste?

Never mind, I'll find someone like youI wish nothing but the best for youDon't forget me, I begged, I remember you saidSometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead

Never mind, I'll find someone like youI wish nothing but the best for you, tooDon't forget me, I begged, I remember you saidSometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts insteadSometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead