I Can Feel this Thing (Poem)

I can feel this thing called "wind"

The wind of change is wrapping its arms around me

It's whispering in my ear saying "now, you can blossom"

How did it know that it was buried deep in my soul?

How did it know that I needed it to shine out like morning dawn through mists?

Finally, I can begin the process of sweeping out the mess from my temple

Now, I can breathe; lifting my head from underneath the water

The dark cloud has lifted and I've decided to continue living in spite of hurt.

Happiness is a choice.

I can feel this thing...

Poem: Dark Skin, Kinky Hair

They ask why do I present myself in a manner

But I can't get any tanner

Cause' I was born with this skin

My soul is within and that's what I truly represent

Should I repent because of the way I look?

Should I resent all the scars that my people took?

What I see in the mirror, it can't get any clearer that I have dark skin and kinky hair

Yeah, others may stare

But I'm gorgeous on and underneath

All that matters is what's underneath this sheet; this skin

They lend me their comments on why my hair's not straight

They give me their bate, expecting me to take it

But I'll just break it because they don't know me...

All they could see is my dark skin and kinky hair

But I don't care, even though others may snare

Because my afro puff is my crown and my dark skin a gown that's forever stuck to me

A gift made of shining ebony

I wear it constantly no matter where I go and no matter where I be

Thieves are out to steal my joy

But they can't have it cause' I'm a warrior; African princess, they try to resist this

So they market relaxers; contractors for hiding my identity.

When all I want to be is me; A woman of dark skin and kinky hair

Without it I'm bare

So many cares on making straight roots

But I choose to keep my naps

They're my caps of natural beauty

So tired of us being defined by just our booty

Big breasts and hips

That's what you see on video clips

But what about our hair?

Our blood runs thick like our hair

But what about our hair?

Why should I be ashamed of my black, nappy, kinky hair?

It's a part of who I am; A part of who I be; Deep like the sea

My roots run deep like the sea; My natural hair

Symbolic of nature and metaphorically represents a pureness

Virgin like olive oil

More earthy than underneath the summer grass

So you can ask why I present myself in such a manner

And it's because I was born with this skin

My soul is within and that's what I truly represent

Should I repent or resent who I am as a person--

Because I got dark skin and kinky hair?

Other's may stare and maybe even hate my identity; Because I'm me--

Not an ordinary color of your average rainbow

It's not long and straight down my back but it's a fact that I got kinky hair

It's a part of being black; Afro-American

I...am...Afro-American.

Haiku: Going Through It

I feel dispair on this night

Crying in the dark

I know daybreak is coming

Poem: Still here

I'm still here.

I'm not moving or scurrying away once I see a storm about to come.

I will plant myself and make my own shelter,

Becuase I plan to stay.

I'm rooting myself deep into this soil.

Nothing will scare me away

And nothing has, because I'm still here.

Every day and every waking hour, my soul travels an inch closer to the clouds

I can feel the rain beating against my mind and my will

but I'll continue pushing until---

I say, "enough".

But I'm not satisfied yet.

They say that I'm not going to beat it; beat the enemy within me

But I will tell them with my ventures that I CAN.

/And one day when I stand before God

I'll say, "Of all the things that I did wrong, at least I never gave up trying".

Imperfect Man, Imperfect Daughter

Father, daddy, man that loved me

I realize now how you've always loved me unconditionally

Despite the temper flares and the elevated arguments

I know now that those became my road maps toward success

There was a time when I was nine

When I said that I hated you, because you grounded me on a Friday night

And until that following week, I couldn't leave my room (or watch my favorite shows)

I thought my life was over

But then I remember drinking cold punch from a can in your truck as we rode together on freeways

With the radio turned up loud, screaming Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith

I may not have shown it then, but that was fun.

You were always there, though I know there were days you felt like leaving

Being a family man had its responsibilities

But I dread the thought of your sacrificed happiness to give your children a good start in life

Your soul has become wounded multiple times

Life has become cruel

And sometimes, I catch myself wishing that you lived in a mansion

With a nice car and a big patio

With a green, freshly cut lawn and a plum tree in the backyard (because you like plums).

And all will come and see the rewards that you've reaped (and maybe even envy you)

But those things aren't there...even though I KNOW you deserve it.

Father, daddy, man that loved me...

There aren't enough words to say how imperfect we both are

But through it all, you did a damn good job.

I just wanted to say

Thank you.

Poem: Take Them Back

Take back you notes
Your letters
Your gifts
Your words wrapped up in airy promises
I don't want to look at them
Those "I love yous" don't taste that sweet anymore
And they just sink like a fog unto the ground and glitter like morning dew.
I don't need to be with you; not when we're like this...
So take back your box of pictures and that first kiss.
Put them on the carpet beside the door
Remeber to leave the keys where you left them-- next to my heart
Make your way towards the exit as I make my way out your life.

Poem: Today, I'm a Woman

Today, I'm a Woman

I have my mind and my confidance

I walk with a poise so lovely, even the flowers and the trees envy my stance.

My capacity to love is wide like hips

My lips are thick like the depth of creativity that drips from them

I can move my thoughts and control my destiny.

I am powerful. 

I am a part of my Creator because my Creator lives in me.

Though I am just a particle within the universe, I am significant because I exist.

Nothing can stop me, not even death.

Because my soul can live throughout eternity.

I can change the world for the better and endure pain, though it may hurt.

My body is star kissed; radiating from its atoms; saying that I am good.

I wake up happy. knowing that I am not just anything.

I am not something to abuse, but something to cherish.

Today, I am a woman and tomorrow another woman who knows her worth.