An Ideal Man

He is not a perfect man, for no one is blemish free
But in the dark expanses of the night
His presence gives a strong feeling of security.
Forces combine in order to destroy, but the Ideal Man
Will stand for what’s right.

He seeks understanding in all he does
Not afraid to express his emotions.
Willing to listen and not just talk
He’s calm, considerate and caring.

Though he may blow his top at times
He would not dare to abuse another.
The Ideal Man is not afraid
To apologize for his mistakes…
And if he is, he does so anyway.

He’s one to do his best to keep his word
Realizing that he role-models life for those who come behind him
And his peers.

He knows when to fight and when to walk away.
He’s hardworking and smart-working, and able to have fun.
He has a sense that is more than common.

Ideal Woman

Perfect? She doesn’t have to be.
The Ideal Man is not, so why should she?
The Ideal Woman should have a personality
A combination of humor, intelligence
Warm heart and strength.
She should have a sense of what she wants in a man, in life
And who she is.
Seeking truth in all situations

An Ideal Woman strives for excellence and elegance.
Her beauty comes from within
Radiating outward to enhance her physical form
The Ideal Woman should be caring
And supportive of the one she loves.
At times she may have to build him up.

An Ideal Woman isn’t afraid to express her feelings of affection
Not always waiting for him to make the first move.
Ready to dream and reach beyond the stars.
Realizing she doesn’t have to lower her standards nor expectations
To the man and life’s situations that try and dictate
That her worth is miniscule at best.

Keep Pressing

What? You thought it was going to get easier with each step along the path? As you approach the Enemy’s Camp did you think they’d just welcome you with open arms and let you through? You didn’t think about the fact that they hold all the keys and guard all the doors. If you want out – if you want to be free – then you’ve got to go to the core of that Camp to where the door to your freedom and the door to your bondage lie shut.

What? You thought this was going to be easy? Well it’s not. But keep pressing! What the Enemy doesn’t want you to realize is that the closer you get to your freedom the more afraid they become – so they will do whatever they can to keep you held at bay. Whatever keeps you complacent – you better believe will pop up to distract you – to cause you to waste all of your resources and your very life.

(CLICK HERE to watch the video for this poem)
It’s not about going where it’s safe… but where you’re needed.

Safe

Cops stay away – fearing for their lives
While families in urban cities face anxiety everyday…
Call for help and you’ll realize
Response time is like the government’s to Katrina…
While bullets fly in rapid succession
No chance for reflection as select corner blocks are ruled by thugs and drug lords
It’s Hell on earth for some.
In a System that devalues a family’s worth.

Come 96th street separation begins…
Segregation exists – you see it on subway trains
And in neighborhood schools where Color rules the terrain
Caucasian students are the minority.
The worst schools in the nation are a majority in ghetto plantations
Kids stand for hours to get through metal confiscation
Like at the school, in the news, where students protested and said:
We’re kids – not convicts!

The Grand Experiment

She was born into this room – 12 by 14 – this closet filled with only a broom, a toilet and a sink. She didn’t know what to think as she aged, but the room was all she ever knew – so she accepted it.

No windows to look through – just 4 walls, a ceiling and a floor – oh and then there was that door – which never opened – the opportunity to explore never given… and she never missed it.

Each time she awoke from sleep a meal would be waiting by that door. It smelled good, so by instinct she’d eat – never thinking to ask for more. Was it day or was it night? She had no concept of time. When it wasn’t dark – it was light – when the tungsten filament was set ablaze by electricity and the bulb came on. Even then she had nowhere to go in the small room with a ceiling and a floor. So she made up an imaginary friend out of the broom to explore the small expanse.

Woman in God’s Picture

My face is shadowed by tears and shame
When I see the way you are treated.
I stare at my brothers in disbelief
As they take unauthorized authority.

I am given a bad name because of them
And you suffer at the hands of them.
But how do I combat this negativity
That is birthed from wrong activity?

Why would I address you, my Black Woman
By some derogatory term that invokes disrespect and isolates?

Why would I tear down your essence
The life of your very presence
And treat you like some cheap object
Even if you wanted to be treated that way?

Do I not realize that you are someone’s daughter?
Someone’s sister – someone’s mother?
Do I not realize that you are someone’s cousin?
Someone’s aunt or someone’s niece?

(CLICK HERE to view the video for this poem)

A Missed Opportunity

Have you ever felt a warm glow fade?
Once bright as a star gone supernova!
The heat was a soothing bathe.

Illumination began at your fingertips
Then spread throughout your entire being
As the energy of the moment electrified…
And glorified the position you were in.

But then you noticed the aura
That encircled you started to diminish
As the warmth turned to cold
The lightning within become a faint spark.

Then… nothing.

The experience had passed you by.
Although you reached out for it
You never grasped and held on for dear life.

Now looking down at your fingertips
You see the faint glow has disappeared.

You are left standing alone…

Alone with the fading memory of the glorious possibility
That was in the midst of an Ordinary day - now gone.