Delicacy

I dream of the moments
when I can let loose
on a naked
barren
piece of paper
such unlined
unruled nothingness
primed for adorning

And with a sigh of release
to a void suspired
for my musings
the euphoric flood comes
as quick and dynamic as a sneeze
as comforting and easing as stretched limbs
as rampant and wild as carnivorous beasts
and the reeling chaos becomes
art

I yearn for the moments
when I can let loose
my ramblings
melodic musings
delicious dalliances
the crafted chaos
calmed as it is written
on a once naked
barren
piece of
paper

Treat

Reservation

I have reservations
like a table for two
me and Me
sitting catty-cornered
sipping sours
side-eyeing each other
in silence
I speak first and lie
or maybe I filter my words
maybe I hold back
and refrain from saying the
explosiveness
that refuses to settle
or calm
Irritation building
like a Cat 5 hurricane
churning inside
willing itself forward
but refusing to leave
the comfortable chaos that gives it strength
Those truthful and revealing words
settle on the back of my tongue
and nearly choke me
to death
as softer
satiny words expel themselves
nasally from the shallows
spilling bitterly across
my paralyzed tongue
I have reservations with
revealing a truth
as dangerous as
my honesty
so maybe I filter myself
and refrain
from being
me

Reservation

What we say…

Conversations are the paths
and roads
and trails that we
unknowingly travel together.
The best
have no destination in mind
and instead of
pushpin marked maps
we explore the
scarred valleys
the moving mountains
and the streams of memories
carved through our joys and pains
A journey that leads us
to the very moment where
we exist in the recreation of the
moments in words
because what we say in
conversations
can lead us to
friends
and lovers
and shared destinations
unknown

Conversation

The Nativity: A Christmas Poem

The warm night air was fragrant
The cool breeze softly blew
Stars twinkled in a sky so clear.

To a resting virgin servant
A pure young maiden
The angel Gabriel appeared.

“Fear not, sweet young Mary
God finds great favor in you.
For to you a child shall be born.

The holiest of infants
A kingdom among kings
God’s only begotten son.”

“I’m not worthy,” said Mary,
“but I question not his will.
His word I shall obey.

He will provide for my people
A Savior for all mankind
God’s blessing upon this day.”

Mary rose from her slumber
And knelt to pray
Her task seemed great and hard.

A young virgin maiden
And her humble carpenter husband
Had been chosen to raise the Lord.

The villagers stared
They doubted her truth
She had clearly broken a vow.

They even questioned Joseph
His honor destroyed
His heart filled with doubt.

Until one warm night
Gabriel reappeared
“Joseph, listen with God’s word Mary pleases.”

To her, a son
The child of God will be born
And he shall be called Jesus.”

To Bethlehem they travelled
Over harsh and terrible roads
Joseph, Mary, and the unborn child.

To the land of his fathers
The many sons of David
A census to be compiled.

The time had come
The inns were filled
No place for the babe to lay.

A side street stable
Where the animals dwelt
And a manger filled with hay.

The wise men came
The prophesy they’d heard
Great wisdom from afar.

Even the shepherds
Resting in the fields
Could not ignore the bright star.

On that holy night
That first Christmas night
The world rang out the joy.

The Messiah had come
Peace to the whole world
Salvation in the baby boy.

November 4, 2008

Of a nation built
on the backs of a race
and a race won
on the back of a nation

Today,
a time in history when
we give THANKS
to our elders,
the marching leaders,
non-violent fighters
and silent movers
of Civil Rights’ barricade.

Today,
a time in history when
we say THANHS
to our elders,
the ones that
shed their multicultural blood
in our precedent
and on our path
to this day.

America voted and spike
to a world that listened
hearing our united cry
Multicultural blend of patriotism
believes in a gentleman
reflected in our skins
and ideals.

Our new leader
a dreamer that believed
we could
and
YES! WE DID!
because we counted…
we were a part of his
story and he is a part of
ours
a history being told as it is written
spoken to our children
with a broad future
Yes, we can!
Tes, we can
become anything together
as King dreamed
and we now sing.

Gratitude

The Mighty

No salutes or flag bearers or anthems
or cherished combat boots or gleaming metal tags

or outrage

for the lost ones
who were the bravest
and the mighty
just trees and ropes and whips
and dogs and bullets and rape

and mutilation

for the sold ones
striped of the loved ones
bred for the new ones

behold the solders of the many failed
yet never abandoned battles
for the right to own
their bodies and to keep
their families
together

I consider my fathers to have
been the bravest
and the mighty
royal warriors by blood-right
no auction price could ever truly place
value on the brave and the mighty
fathers, sons, and brothers who lost battles
but won their freedom
and stood as brave and mighty men
only to be bound and hung
by the heartless

I consider my fathers to have
been the bravest
and the mighty
to know that living was hard
and death wasn’t the easiest
but in the land of the brave
it sure was the freest

Brave

Melanin

It’s the year of the light-skinned!
No wait,
the era of the dark-skinned!
PLEASE
let’s all agree that Black has always been
beautiful
Your recent pride does not make it…
fashionable.
Black is not a trend
and cannot be emulated or retroactively acquired
by anyone.
Though, acknowledge that my attire and hair IS
fashionable.

Thank God and Glory for your Black beauty,
ladies and gentlemen
my melanin and your melanin
both kissed by the same sun
our varying degrees are shades of love
made by sunlight and
an open sky
raise that face to mother Sun
so that everything in nature can see
we too are the flowers
blooming in a rainbow
of brown beauty
nut-brown,
cocoa,
chocolate,
chestnut,
golden,
amber,
caramel,
mocha,
tan,
burnt umber,
ebony,
coffee,
and all the shades in between.
I am so blessed
that Black
is beautiful.

Fashionable

For the Audio Impotents

I am not
without understanding.
I need you to know that.
I begin to speak and you don’t
even
hear
me.
You say, you see me. See, that’s
the thing with you visually
aroused
audio impotents.
You see me
but you don’t hear me.
I’m speaking words so deep and proving my point so clear
that if this conversation was the Atlantic Ocean,
I’d be the light shining within the
Mariana Trench
and you’d be
the shadow of a child’s
plastic sailboat.
Conversely lacking the stimulation
that I need.
You say that you see me
and you smile
and I smile
and I pretend that what you say is intelligent
and funny
and that the sound of your voice
isn’t like a hum of a refrigerator.
So that when I speak
you’ll listen and not be afraid
of the depth of what I really have to say
I’m not a vision, I’m the visionary.
I’m not a joke, I’m the belly rumbling
laugh
I am all of the thoughts
and expressions
At the bare minimum,
a woman’s essence.
So, don’t be afraid of what I say
when I answer
what you ask.
You see, I’ve been
waiting to be heard,
to be understood.

Exceptional

Saturday Laziness

Sometimes I succumb
to the lullaby of Saturday evening
with everything to do
and time to do it
but no desire to move beyond
the few feet of comfort
that being at peace
with no agenda
or alarm clock
but still rising before
eight
and napping by noon
reading Coates and Kendi
and listening to Jill and Anthony
while my mind
makes lists
and sends warnings
of how these lazy moments
will create a very hectic Sunday afternoon
with everything to do
and no time to do
but for now, I succumb
to the laziness
that fives me peace

Succumb

Cinnamon Bread, Cream Cheese, and Honey

If breakfast is the most important meal of the day,
then we must be royalty
the living and dining
worthy of immortalizing

forget the eggs, grits, biscuits and bacon
(for now)
don’t overindulge me
when knowing exactly
what I want
has always gotten you
what you want
a quick break
cinnamon bread toasted with just enough
heat to give rhythm to the skin
cream cheese warmed and spread
in ripples from end to end
and honey riding the waves in
slow flows that settle
into delicious pools
and we don’t break
fast
we eat
not caring
what falls
what spills
what smears
because we anticipate
the pleasure
of seconds

Flavorful