GUN CONTROL

You can carry, conceal, load it or shoot

But brave it doesn’t make you

You can yell about the 2^nd amendment rights

Donate to the NRA…..and be in cahoots

But it’s nothing like the truth to make it true

A gun in the wrong hands is nothing but a killer

A killer of hopes, dreams, a childhood

It like crushing life between two pillars

And after it’s all said and done then it’s too late

What happens to could

Yes we could have stood up but it wasn’t on our plate

Yes we could have signed a petition

We could have marched

But because our friends say owning guns are a tradition

We block the memory of Sandy Hook,

Columbine,

Jonesboro,

Aurora,

Virginia Tech,

Tucson,

And the list goes on and on, must I

When I think about the loss my soul can’t help but cry

Because owning a gun means more to some than a life

Through my tears and heartache I can’t phantom why

Because a life is so precious and we only get one

Still, the shootings and killing have become rife

Like bricks falling by the ton

So are the tears of brokenhearted

Yes you can carry, conceal, load or shoot

But brave it doesn’t make you

Saving lives is how the healing gets started

It’s nothing like the truth to make it true

A gun in the wrong hand is nothing but a killer

A killer of hopes and dreams

And life is too short to be lived like the pages of a thriller

Speak, speak loud

Stand, stand like a tree planted by the water

Be not afraid to stand outside of the crowd

For life, for gun control

For peace, within our souls.

Mother

I look into her eyes and see

All that I strive to be

The epitome of elegance and grace

Symbolic of the strength I need to run this daily race

The sweet voice of reason

Whose love encompasses throughout the season

As I stand facing the mirror

The image I see is you

And nothing in this world could be any dearer

In my heart and soul reigns true

You are the source of my being

In your stilettos I follow

Standing firm and never fleeing

From your mouth your words I devour

For nourishment and to allow me to grow

In your wisdom and knowledge I found power

So for all our earthly days, my true love I will show

You are my mother

God’s precious gift and like no other

So from my heart I say to you

For all the trouble

The tears I’ve made you cry

The nights without sleep

When you pondered the question why

And the promises I did not keep

Please accept from my sincere heart

A forgiving plea

To reseal the bond and never part

The unconditional love I have for thee

Mother, oh mother

As I stand facing the mirror

The image I see is you

And nothing in this world could be any dearer

In my heart and soul reigns true

How greatly blessed I am to have you.

FAMILY

Family is an important staple of life.  We all belong to a family, however anger, hate, greed, jealousy and animosity can shred this staple to pieces.  Forgivness is the key that God will use to unlock the door to a solid foundation with each individual bonded together by His unconditional love.  No family is perfect.  No person is perfect.  God is the only perfect being, so in order to live according to His word, we have to, we must forgive our family as He has forgiven us.  Life is too short to constantly carry the burdens of hate, jealously, greed and animosity, so I dare each of you to take the first step in mending a relationship with a family member whether it is your father, mother, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, cousin or grandparent because after that individual is gone it’s too late.  We cannot choose our family, so we have to love the one we have.  We must own our personal faults and realize that others have faults and they are no different than ours.  We can only embark upon a wave of change if we first begin with self.  We must then hold ourselves accountable to the high standards that we so eagerly set for others.  Furthermore, we often hear about broken families.  Broken is not a word we should readily identify with family, but the words strength, happiness, joy, togetherness and love are the principles on which familes should be based.  God created the family stucture for a reason.  In His word he gives us instructions regarding family like, “But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children”–Psalms 103:17.  Family should be embedded in our hearts and minds as we are apart of His family.  Do not allow the circle to be broken, but let your family circle be a never ending circle of love rooted firmly according to God’s principles.

Finally, as the saying goes,  “A family that prays together stays together”. Call a family member today just to say hi and tell them you love them.

BACK TRACKING AIN’T MY THING *A Song*

Back tracking ain’t my thing
So get your shit and this ring
Now that the shoes are on the other feet
My world is so, so sweet
You walked away
Without as much as a goodbye
Tore my heart into pieces
For days all I could do is cry
It took me a while to go on
But just cause my heart broke life didn’t stop
If I had a crystal ball I would have known
Now here you are
Begging to come back to the house
That once was your home
Well sorry honey
Back tracking ain’t my thing
So get your shit and this ring
Now that the shoes are on the other feet
My world is so, so sweet
On the mantle are different frames
But the pictures remain the same
Since you were searching
You can continue to roam
Searching for fame
And still nobody knows your name
In me you had everything
A lady, a lover and a queen
I won’t back track cause it ain’t my thing
Get your shit and this ring
Now that the shoes are on the other feet
My world is so, so sweet
My path is straight ahead
What was between you and me
It’s been cried over, buried, it’s dead
Baby back tracking ain’t my thing
Get your shit and this ring
No I won’t back track
It ain’t my thing

This Box

This box this box

Confining me

Walls closing in giving me a narrow view of the world I see

This box this box

Contains all the parts and enter workings of me

Pages of my life

Nailed to the wall

Vivid photos of my struggle to be

But the image I see in the mirror on its wall

Is a different me

The soul I long to set free

This box this box

Restrictive

Suppressing my dreams

But writing is addictive

Its free flowing

Pushes my thoughts to the extreme

Dares to be contained in this box

Like an earthquake

4.6 on the Richter

Its expressive nature

Makes the walls shake

This box this box

Outside of it is where I want to be

Using the art of words creatively

Remembering a Friend

Do you remember how you made friends with the person who became one of your best friends?   I totally remember in 6^th grade when this new girl entered our classroom.  She looked scared and unsure if she really wanted to be there.  She was taller than most of us and had two bushy, long ponytails.  We didn’t immediately say anything to each other.  It wasn’t until later on the playground, when I asked where she lived that we shared our first conversation.

That first conversation lead too many other conversations, laughs and even heart felt cries over the years.  We grew up together often sharing food, clothes and other silly things that young girls who are similarly intrigued do.  Our love for basketball and track grew us closer together, as well as sharing the same church pastor, singing in the junior choir and riding the same bus to school.  On the hardwood, I was the two and she the four.  My go to girl when coach said pass the ball down low.  I cheered her on as she sprinted around the track and she encouraged me to jump the hurdles with flair of Benita Fitzgerald during the 1984 Olympics. 

I was the semi-quiet girl, but she was the true quiet one, whose radiant smile always brightened my day.  She was the friend who always spoke the truth and stood her ground in the most elegant manner.  She took peer pressure by the neck gently choking it, never giving in to its bitter sweetness as I did.  However, when some treated me differently after I became pregnant at the tender age of 15, she hugged me and said “It’s going to be alright.” 

Life took us in different directions, but we never lost our connection.  We could go months without talking to each other, but when one of us decided we had gone too long without talking and called the other, our conversation would pick up just where we left off.  Our last conversation is one I’ll never forget.  I could hear the smile, the strength and the hopefulness in her voice.  She reassured me, when I couldn’t muster the strength to reassure her. 

One high school memory made me laugh during her home going service.  At one point, I was the youngest amongst all of my friends due to being born in September, so when Lola came along I just knew I was older than someone.  I would say, I’m the oldest so you have to do what I say and she would reply “you’re not older than me”, but I did not want to hear it and further stated, “All I know is six comes before twenty-eight.” She stopped arguing with me about it and let me think I was older all those years.  As I was reading the obituary, I noticed her birth year 1966. 

As I stood in the cemetery taking in the beautiful California scenery, I realized that my life would never be the same.  Her soft footprints left along my life’s pathway are a pleasant reminder of how important friendship is and makes me appreciate the understanding I’ve gained.  Although she is no longer here, my memory box is full.  In closing, I want to remind all of my sisters to do your monthly breast exam and remind your sister, mother, aunt, cousin and friends.  On October 20^th, Go Pink for a Cure at the Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure in Little Rock.

Happy 46^th Birthday Lola B!  Muah!

WHERE I COME FROM

When I grew up I grew up poor

No silver spoon just a feeling that I always wanted more

Though my belly was full and I had a bed to sleep

Sooner or later Elaine, Arkansas would be only a memory to keep

I envisioned a world

Like the ones I read about in stories

But life has its crooked paths paved with illusions for this country girl

At the age of 15 I swelled with life

Some said I’d never amount to anything

And my surroundings would always be filled with strife

But an inner force spoke to me

Saying don’t listen

God has destined so much more for you to be

With hurt feelings and a broken heart

I pressed on

Determined that my middle, my present or my ending was not based on my start

No preparations or theories proven right

Just a country girl spreading her wings in flight

Diligently crafting a blessed gift with words

Writing to tell an imaginative story

The blessed gift that God himself has stirred

My look back makes me appreciate from where I came

Because Elaine, Arkansas was a blessing in disguise

A place that gave me humble roots

So I will always speak its name

ARE WE JUST A COLOR?

Really, do you truly think of us just as a color?  What an excuse.  Don’t let others take from the blessings and joys that God has in store for us.  One’s exterior color does not define or make up the composition of who we are as a people.  Yes, you have black skin, but so did our ancestors that originated from the land of God’s first creations.  Each of us are unique individuals that can rise to the top of this world because we possess various gifts called talents and abilities that God so chose to give. 

Before conception, God knew the color our skin and even though sometimes we are labeled by those of color not representative of our own.  Yes, we are described by the adjective black, but there is so much more to me and you.  Our blackness was derived from God’s perfect and expansive eye, a unique staple that suggest we are a blessing.  We exist in many shades and tones from the fairest to the darkest hue.  We are an exquisite zest of beauty possessed by no other group of people.  Because of the blackness, some can’t see past that, but let me inform, educated and maybe get some to appreciate the blackness in us.  We have minds that absorb and regurgitate knowledge.  We are unique in all we dare to be even when others discourages us.  Can’t you see that we are His children?  Look at our smiles and its ability to create a beckoning light that attracts like germs between hands.  We are more than a color.  We are a race of people inspired by the challenges and obstacles set before us.  When you hear us sing “We Shall Overcome” please believe that it’s more than a song.  It is our mission in life. 

Are we just a color?  I say no.  And, no one adjective can ever describe or define you or me for we are a rainbow.

WARNING

No, you don’t know my name

I’m just a warning

flashing yellow lights

about this thing called life

don’t get twisted in it’s game

the prerequisite isn’t fair

there’s no proven strategy or defense

just be wise

step carefully

cause He allows only burdens we can bear

the path however isn’t obstacle free

challenges on every hand

navigate with eyes wide open in order to see

that anything worthwhile in life

definitely isn’t free

carefully choose your guide

cause so called friends

only cater to the blindside

I dare you to dream

explore the endless possibilities

a gift called talent

we all possess

just exit the open door and redeem

No, you don’t know my name

I’m just a warning

but if you fail to adhere or listen

Life will definitely share the blame.

 

LIFE

There’s a traffic jam in my mind

my thoughts are overflowing

I can’t see what’s in front of me

even though my eyes are wide open

so I braille the dotted line

and I find Life signed.

Life

throwing curb balls, so I’m swinging

life taps me on the shoulder

saying that’s strike two

one more and you’re out

now fear is resounding in my ears loudly

got them ringing

Yeah, yeah life had me so low

that I was at ground level

Life laughed thinking it defeated me

but in it’s darkness the sky shown brightly

off my tongue the winds blew a whispered word Jesus loudly

now in His glory I revel.

Life is a must until we die

so for battle I’m armed

oh what a friend I’ve found in Jesus

the one who controls life solely

His gift to me everlasting

now looking back at life I laugh, spread my wings and to Heaven I fly.