Paint Myself Gold

I would paint myself gold
if it meant you would notice me.
I’m just a poor child
living in the Land of Opportunity.
Mommy works so hard,
but makes very little money.
We have no light or no heat
My family lives in poverty.

I rush to do my homework
before night-time falls.
That’s when the drug dealers come out
and begin their street battles.
All the shooting scares me.
I want a safer home.
They fight for a piece of concrete
that they will never own.

Police are on the every corner,
I don’t think they care for me,
because all day long
they fight what my future could be.

I look forward to the holidays,
Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts,
that’s the one time of year
we always have plenty to eat.
We get big gifts,
new shoes, clothes and toys.
Even Mommy gets new things.
That fills my heart with joy.

I wish I could be a superhero
and protect my family and friends.
I’d beat up all the drug dealers
So the streets would be safe again.

There are a lot of families like mine
living in my neighborhood,
We are poor, but hope hard and pray
That our lives will turn out good.

When I look at all my neighbors,
I wonder again and again,
If I painted us all gold,
Would you notice us then?

This poem from my book, Persistence of Vision, was published in 2009 and was one of the winning works presented at the 2008 Delaware Art Museum’s Eye/I Witness Gordon Parks contest.

Seth

I’ve missed a few Throwback Thursdays! I could not disappoint you (or myself) for yet, another week! Today’s piece is about death and loss and rebirth. Enjoy!

Nikewrites Blog

He held this new creation in his arms.
Oh, how his wife had suffered.
Two before, born and lived
Only to have one slay the other.
The living son was banished
A piece of her heart left with them.
She thought all was lost,
Until her belly swelled with life once more.
Light came back to her eyes.
She glowed.
Her sense of purpose was restored.
She was made to be a mother.
She did it so well,
That many times he thought
She was created first.
He was happy that she was restored
But he was concerned.
Confusion had slithered into their lives before.
What would happen with this child?
If they had another son,
Would brother kill brother again?
The child squirmed in his arms,
Pressing closer to his father for warmth,
Seeking comfort and protection.
He vowed to be a better father this time.
No harm would…

View original post 60 more words

It Was Only A Kiss

Happy Throwback Thursday! I went digging through the archives and found a piece that I have visited in while. Send to kids off do some chores and grab a glass of wine for this one! 🙂 Enjoy

Nikewrites Blog

He uttered few words

Allowing his actions to be his voice.

I was a prisoner

Trapped in his strong embrace.

His eyes were focussed,

His every move deliberate

As he tilted my head up

And brushed his lips

Softly across my mouth.

He gently sucked and nibbled

My bottom lip

Between feathery kisses.

I tasted passion,

I felt his desire

And restraint.

He did not rush this encounter,

My heart raced with anticipation.

I wanted to feel his hands

And those oh, so tender lips,

Explore every inch of my body.

He kissed me like

A starving man,

Savoring nourishment,

Rationing his portions

So he could return for more

As he had need.

I leaned into him,

Not hiding my desire,

I devoured his kisses

Like they were my last meal.

And then he pulled away.

Holding me away from his body,

Examining me carefully,

He let me go

Then…

View original post 16 more words

To Leave You

For today’s Throwback Thursday post, I dug in the archives and found this poem that I wrote in 2013. I’d almost forgotten about it! I hope you enjoy it! Happy Thursday!

Being listened to and heard is one of the greatest desires of the human heart.
-Richard Carlson

To find you

The same way I left you,

Oh, that would be a shame.

Whether you were well

Or down on your fortune,

To be stagnant is a disgrace.

Time is a currency meant to be spent,

Not killed, nor simply passed by,

But it should be spent wisely,

Invested and well accounted,

And enjoyed one moment at a time.

To leave you

The way I found you,

Now, that is a sin for sure!

While, I need not sermonize,

Criticize or scold,

I have a duty to add to your greatness

Whenever we may meet.

It’s my duty as God’s creation

To increase your value

Even if it means I never speak.

If all you require is an open ear,

Then that I will be, for you, with honor.

For to listen,

Is to fulfill your heart’s greatest desire.

Who am I to deprive you of such a treasure?

To live in a box,

Is to regard life as a trifle!

For, to a box we will go

As our final resting place.

When we lay in rest,

Friends and family will recount

Precious moments of our lives.

This audit of time will be marked

By anecdotes of the marks we left on them.

May those memories be kind and true

Whether we receive accolades or not.

You can’t take your treasures with you

When you die.

Don’t exit this world,

Without leaving a deposit.

Haiku: We Are Free

The Archive Genies waved this piece in front of me, today. it’s a simple poetic format, but it says a lot. And after the news of the past couple of weeks, it’s exactly what I needed to hear. Enjoy!

We are free indeed
We lift our feet and voice
Clap and shout, “We’re free!” 

I is for: I Will Tell You a Truth

I will tell you a truth:

You will get hurt.

Bones will snap.

Skin will bruise.

The heart will ache.

It has to happen

And if it doesn’t,

You may want to ask yourself

If you are really living.

I will tell you a truth

I learned from watching father.

He was working in the garden

And he pruned my favorite tree.

He cut a branch and left a stub.

Then he cut it again.

And then once more closer to the trunk.

I thought of how it felt

When a new wound was touched

Or reopened.

I thought he hurt the tree

So I cried.

He told me the branch was dead

And that dead branches

Hinder growth.

Did you hear that?

Dead branches hinder growth.

I will tell you a truth.

I know you are looking for answers.

I’ve been broken and bruised.

I’m healed and living.

The dead branch was removed

And I’m growing.

Flourishing.

I will tell you a final truth.

Dead things stay dead.

Dead things get buried

And they don’t rise again.

Living things continue to grow

As long as they are cared for

And pruned from time to time,

They will continue to grow.

They will continue to flourish.

Pied Piper

It’s Throwback Thursday once again and today I’m focussing on the letter “P.” This poem is from the 2014 A to Z Challenge. Enjoy…again! 😀

Nikewrites Blog

Pied_Pier by lilliesformary on Deviantart.com

You were all things

Shiny and new.

Sweet and warm and tender.

You loved me.

And I loved you.

We were us in the most

Complete and beautiful way.

But you were skilled

In sleight of hand.

Showing me one thing

While doing another.

Smoke and mirrors

And hidden compartments.

I took it all in

Like a child full of wonder.

You enjoyed the show most.

You were like the piper

Playing a fine tune

And you came into my world

With enchanting sounds.

The melodies we shared,

I loved and cherished.

These were our songs,

About our love.

That are now echoes on the wind.

You vanished.

Disappeared like a fine mist.

No rhyme, no reason.

I’m left holding the bag

In which we placed

our most treasured moments

And dreams for the future

Your last words to me were,

“Abracadabra!”

You left me…

View original post 9 more words

T is for Throwback Thursday: Unequivocally

T is for Throwback Thursday! Today’s post in the A to Z Challenge is a piece I wrote for the 2014 challenge. Enjoy!

Nikewrites Blog

If you must love,

Go all in.

Don’t half step.

Love is not a pastime.

It is not hobby.

It is not a game.

It cannot be lit then smothered

Like the flame of a candle.

Love is the gift you give

to one you hold in high esteem.

If you must love,

Go all in.

Love with every fiber of your being.

Take off the mask.

Be transparent,

Naked, honest, unabashed

And vulnerable.

Love every part of your darling,

The beautiful parts

And the shattered pieces.

If you must love,

Go all in.

Love until your heart swells.

Love fearlessly, with forbearance.

Love tenderly and passionately.

Love in and out of season.

Love unequivocally.

Anything less,

Is not love at all.

View original post

Anticipation

Tuxedo Shirt by Steven Depolo

The fuss, the flutter and fidgeting,

The racing of the heart

The watching of the clock

As we prepare to meet each other.

Sweaty palms, sweaty brows,

Roiling stomach.

Joy, fear and happiness

Bubbling to the surface

All at once and

So fast it makes my head spin.

And even as we see each other,

Know each other,

Grow with each other

And awake to each other,

The fluttering and bubbling doesn’t stop.

It becomes a magnet

Drawing us closer and closer

On our road to ever after.

Sonnet 116

Because it is Valentine’s Day and William Shakespeare defined love so beautifully in this piece…Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

SONNET 116

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no; it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests, and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,