I Could (Never) Be That Girl

Let's keep it real for a moment...

Have you ever caught yourself looking at a young girl and her baby,
wondering where the father is? Judging her and her "mistakes"?
Praising yourself for not having ended up in her situation? I have.
But then I realized that I'm subject to the same feelings and
biological processes as those girls...and it could so easily be me.

I Could (Never) Be That Girl

that could easily be me
the girl with the good-looking baby
(with the good hair)
and the no-good baby daddy

the girl that got swept off her feet
in a wave of emotion
only to find herself caught up
in a rip current of commotion
and drama

the girl that would have to tell her mamma
that she's gonna give birth
to the seed
of a particular breed of male
that's never done a good deed
in his whole life

the girl whose whole life would change
(changing diapers)
the girl whose life perspective would never be the same
the girl who would be forced to choose a name
for the next generation of herself

the girl that would have to reevaluate
her idea of wealth
and fitness
and youth
and etiquette

that indefinite girl could so easily be me
could be any one of us
at any time
every time
we open our hearts
followed shortly by our legs
(which happens to be
the path to our womb)

but like you
i just assume

that it will never happen to me

A Haiku for Family...

Okay, I know...I'm still cheating. This haiku is even shorter than my last mini-poem. BUT (in my defense) I think these few words stand on their own. Of course, this blog is about what you think, so give me your feedback. Background: I wrote this little ditty a few years ago. I was at an open mic nite and they did an impromptu haiku contest, and the topic had to be family. (Yeah, I won.)

Love knows no limits

of shared bloodlines or surnames.

We are family.

Swallow Me Whole

Okay...I'm totally cheating. This is just a little, mini-poem to hold you over while I get my latest poem in blog-ready condition. But even though it's short, it's still one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy.

Swallow Me Whole

at night i lie in your cocoon

and breathe your love into me.

your heartbeat is the rhythm of my dreams

and my lips dance to the symphonies of your kiss.

i cry just to feel you wipe away the tears.

if you're not in my arms, you're too far away.

i love to lose myself in your embrace.

swallow me whole.

Nothing Inspires Like Inspiration

I love my Twitter family. I've been able to connect with some of the illest talents out there, especially writers and poets. Not only are they out their grinding to get their voices heard, but many of them have encouraged (and even challenged) me to push against my own writing limits and bring the use my words.

I connected with @Keziathepoet only a short while ago (just last week, if I'm not mistaken), but she's already helping me push toward new levels. She was on Twitter last nite, about to explode, looking for someone to freestyle with. I took the bait. We went back and forth for a while, and here's what we created...(my words are in bold).

it's time for rhythm and rhymes

the rivers of lines flowing through this mental of mine

in need of cerebral release to cause the madness to cease

peace is a must let me grab a pen because it's poetry or bust

i fight for the right to write, moving my pen through all hours of the night

what a plight this gift of words turn bringing thoughts to life with the verbs

action words for what i feel, words to action to turn feelings into real

reveal the innermost unspoken thoughts inhibitions ignored pop open faults

just to let go, let words flow, let emotions show, let momentum grow

not to mention that you just might blow adjust the gears just so to get that just right flow

words flow to stanza and stanza to verse, verse leads to the mic unfiltered and unrehearsed

verse after verse gets sprinkled on their minds Ms Who brought the new and put a wrinkle in their time

creased their foreheads with her very essence, gave them sight with her luminesence

insight from her life lessons that stressin was too depressin and just wakin up was a blessin

she was livin in heaven while she walked the earth, blessed and highly favored since birth

but life can hurt..the work can be a bit much can leave the spirit fragile to the touch

a wounded heart is a heavy burden to carry, and the state of merriment tends to vary

and "friends" are scary..family can be worse but we have a Savior who carries cares and wrote His love in a verse

He lived that love and died to redeem, He rose because even over death He offered us victory

He's stricken me with His grace and mercy everlasting I'm forever dwelling in the shadow that the cross is casting

Shut the Hell Up!

I don't exactly remember writing this poem, but it's pretty obvious how I was feeling at the time. This poem was my reaction--pure and unfiltered--to some unwanted counsel on the subject of a budding relationship. **Warning: watch out for the four-letter words. (I don't normally use them in regular conversation, but they do tend to show up in my poems...)

Shut the Hell Up!

Shut up.

Shut up.

Would you please just shut the hell up!

you act like you just said the most brilliant thing ever heard:

"think about it"

like no one on the whole planet in the whole history of civilization

has ever thought about it before you had this brilliant revelation

like thinking about it would illuminate some miracle solution

like my non-thoughts are riddled with chaos and confusion

like i'm maintaining my disillusion by not thinking about it

shit...that's exactly what your problem is

you're trying to handle matters of the heart with the mind

like this abstract emotion follows something as rational as the laws of time

like there's a simple, observable pattern that it always follows

like it'll move seamlessly through my digestive tract if all i do is swallow

but that's the most ridiculous think i've ever heard

and the more you speak the more you sound absurd

so please...shut the hell up!

"Be You"

Okay...this isn't so much a poem as it is a song. But I thought it was fitting for my next blog post.

I wrote this last night, after some inspiration from GLucciano (thanks again for my breakthrough!). I think maybe the full effect of the words will come with the music, but I hope the message stands on its own. Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Be You

You're beautiful the way you are

Flaws and all, you're a superstar

Don't let them tell you your way is wrong

Trust in yourself and be strong

You're living your own destiny

And you're right where you're supposed to be

Baby, it's all you

And baby, you're the truth

Do what you're born to do

Go ahead...and be you

You can only be you, and I can only be me

Their expectations don't make your reality

You've got to be real, you gotta be yourself

Find your reward in peace, love and wealth

I can plainly see the greatness that's inside

So don't let nobody go and take your sunshine

Baby, it's all you

And baby, you're the truth

Do what you're born to do

Go ahead...and be you

Everybody's gotta learn to walk their own path

We gotta learn to be satisfied with the talents we have

Who we are has already been assigned

Naturally divine, baby you're you by design

Baby, it's all you

And baby, you're the truth

Do what you're born to do

Go ahead...and be you