Heritage In Expression: Poems

ASIDE

A user.

A wanton woman.

A head full of dreads.

An arm full of charms.

A face full of faces---

From so many places.

A child and a lover,

Hurt and abused.

Always misused.

A reason, a daughter,

The love of the Father.

BINYELUM

This love we have is grand.

This love we've spoken true.

We've got it in the bag.

There's nothing they can do.

Black skin across these chains.

Our memories of bliss,

This land cannot destroy,

Or white oppression's fist.

These stolen moments few,

Our hearts are all we have.

Let's do as lovers do,

And make this moment last.

Chained side by side today.

Your lovely, lowly glance,

Worth every chance I take,

Worth traveling the lands.

*Binyelum, means "stay with me," in Igbo.

DEMANDING

It's your sensual lips

so big and brown,

Your milky eyes so

soft and round.

Your cocoa skin,

Is the light of my days,

Anguishing me,

in a naughty haze.

My man,

My love,

That's who you are,

The twinkle of my eyes,

My shining star.

Beloved,

My angel,

With big dark hands,

To handle our love's

Most ambitious demands.

FACELESS

Resounding with a clang,

All the songs she sang.

A jazz player in mid-key,

Leaving all he was to be.

My son.

My baby.

It's been 10 years since he

Was taken from us.

A senseless killing,

Is what it was "just."

"No way to understand these

type things."

Your typical sad, hood, crime scene.

And the world grows colder.

And the tedium of another year

Of scattered holidays and

Church events come and go.

And all I know is awash,

As I wait on God and trust.

From where you dwell

I'm a million miles away.

But Dear Boy, just know this:

I'll see you again someday.

FOR SALE

You sold!

You slave.

The breath of life

For smoke-filled days.

Motherhood for unfit ways.

Sweet success for

ill-gotten gains.

The slice of life for

Political chains.

You sold!

You slave.

One- and- only

for conformity,

Bravery

For unspread wings.

Pointing fingers and

Defeatist things,

Stifle up the grown.

Get life,

Sweet soul!

Find the tenets you

Would uphold.

A forgiven past can

Salve and whole.

Live each day carefully, bold!

And life will hunt you down.

Then gradually, your hand,

It's axe, will smoothly do the deed.

A thwack of chains will loudly break;

You've life

Sweet Soul!

You're free!

GOING THERE

Shakin' it hard.

Droppin' it low.

Spinnin' it fast,

So he can know.

That your the real deal,

A real Ace Queen.

You're the top of the

Show.

Every man's dream.

No, you're not a real dancer.

I mean, it's okay. It's our

Heritage, we were born

this way.

Nothing more to offer.

Alive to tantalize,

that's all that we are.

Not your heart,

not your mind.

Your a** is the star.

HERITAGE

A heritage of splendor.

A heritage of grace.

Soul don't you wonder

When seeking His face,

The meaning of darkness

In all it's array?

The depth of connotation

That lights our way,

With every lithe move,

Every breath that we take.

The paradox, the versus, the

Bottom line.

The warmth, the soul,

The rhythm, the rhyme.

The nurture, the source,

Suffused within:

The oil of essence of all

that there is.

Evident in the midst,

Boldness in life.

Imposing in cadence,

Barbarity In might.

My skin and yours

Reflect spiritual themes;

A riddle, a brushstroke

Of God's greatest things.

HIDDEN TREASURE

Still in this dark of clime

We shine,

Still in this dark of clime.

Through poison aged and

Wicked spells,

Cun and snoot,

Robbery,

League of

Anguished niceties,

Criminal atrocities,

In this darkened time.

Still in this dark of clime,

We shine,

Still in this dark of clime.

Lagged vindication

Swells,

The heavy- hearted know

This well;

Bearers of a thousand tales,

Mark both young and old.

Who will change this

Circumstance, give

Light to any hope?

Who will beastly

Forces chance,

Destroy the

Weeded growth?

Is this burden yours

Or mine

Some tokens to your

Racial vine,

There with those be satisfied;

Dependence on the strong.

Yet bronze- like faces

still aglow,

Living in the

Things we know,

So often do we

Steal the show,

In this perilous time.

In spite of powers that

May be,

Living hard--- but right

In Majesty,

At home and in

Community,

In this perilous time.

Through time and time

and time,

Look at how you shine

The globe,

Sweet kin,

Look just how you shine!

HOOD AND FABULOUS

Pick pick

Pat.

Pick pick

Pat.

God forbid it go flat,

Pick pick

Pat.

Summoning my

Inner Foxy,

Lipgloss in

Bubblegum pink.

World here I come,

For better or for worse.

Raise the bar,

Raise the bar,

Emergence,

Elbows,

knees,

Lube it up,

Lube it up.

And a spritz

Spritz

Of Issey Miyake

(cause the stuff

Aint cheap).

Makin' my way...

Whoosa...

MAKE IT RAIN

Catch this money,

It's here,

It go....

Cycles of living,

Entrepreneurial flow.

Into real estate now

Last year--- resales.

Mary Kay on the side,

Making new strides.

Gotta live to the fullest,

Don't throw it away.

Gotta get into living.

Each day's a new day,

To gain class and wealth.

To reach for the stars,

To better yourself,

You gotta work hard.

This month was good,

But next month will be hott,

When my clients all see

The new timeshares I bought.

Writing is boring,

Flippin' houses a pest.

Doing hair? No Ma' Dear.

Weddings? Parties?

Oh wait, that's next!

I'll never burn out,

You never know the road,

Or the rainbow to end

In a pot of gold.

Cycles of living,

Entreprenurial flow.

I live hard, I live fast,

Yeah, just watch me

Go!!!

MASTERPIECE

I draw you...

A charcoal and

Brown pastel

Against paper,

Oh so white...

That can't comprehend

Your relevance

Upon its linear plane.

I am smearing and fanning

Features that make

Their mark...

So dark,

So lovely are thee.

Assaulted on

A whitewashed world

Purposefully.

Your colors will stand

Stark and strong,

Reflecting the light, here

And there.

And in this way,

I will draw you...

MILLENNIALS' BLISS

O baby come to me,

Come to me now.

I need your sweat,

Your salty tears,

Our silhouette

Across the display

Of a Netflix light.

If an animal, I'd be a

Wounded deer, a

relentless

target to a cupid

With an ill-willed and

Sneaky grin.

You had me at "Netflix

And chill"

And sold at the

Addition of Popeyes.

Even now, my toe

Grazes a chicken bone,

Sending a deviant shudder

Over lax limbs.

I glance over the

Full Metal Alchemist

Bed sheets, and a

Non-existent headboard:

Typical Millennials interlude.

"My Big Black King," I say.

"My Chocolate Drop Angel,"

You say.

I nuzzle you.

Out of nowhere materializes a

Tiny diamond ring over a

pack of Rolos.

"Let's make it official," you say.

"Yes," I say, with tears,

"Remind me to pay the

Netflix subscription."

MINDLESS PEOPLE

Invented hosts of contraptions

During Antebellum South,

Strides in Civil Rights,

O mindless we.

Politically kicked down doors,

Took Entertainment by storm,

O mindless we.

Living Black Girl Magic,

And Athletic Dreams,

O mindless, mindless we.

Mindless, so mindless?

How mindless can we be?

OPEN MIC

Just hold your mouth while I

Verse out.

Queen of the South,

Loves to

Verse out.

Give her her clout as she verse out

Never in doubt, when she verse out.

Lord of the Stage

It's so clear

Lyrics he spittin so tight

Handle bizness on the mic.

Lord of the Stage

Lookin' right.

Panther of the Areenaaaaa!!!!!

Feel her anxiety, her hurt,

A blossom waiting to birth.

But now versing tight as a bud,

Ladies night, give her some love.

Man, now what he 'gon do?

But whoa, what he's speaking is true.

What we all really needed to hear.

Every eye shedding a tear.

Open Mic delightfully sweet

A vast array of feels.

See you in 2 weeks my friends,

It's been amazingly real.

The Seed of Life

Ole man from Savannah,

Used to hold his head down,

Told me a story once,

Of the trouble he found.

Born not hurtin no one,

A lamb on earth,

But no one care nothin,

Bout his life or his birth.

A nigga they called him,

Every day of his life,

Outweighing lazy days,

Loads of hunger and strife.

You work for me now,

Don't forget you're black,

Shuffle for this one,

Shuffle for that.

A life just existing,

Just trying to get by.

Pain still persisting,

Through each suppressed cry.

Then faith was restored,

through

His progeny,

the chosen grandchild,

Would live out his dreams.

A Master's in Science,

Cum laude,

Special honors,

A job in the wings.

Now Ole man from Savannah

Holds his head high,

A dream not deferred,

A well not dry.

For seeds were watered,

And so turned the tide,

Ole man from Savannah,

Is come now to life.

UNFORGIVABLE

Her only assault

was her Black

Face.