Best Dei Poems
They want our rhythm but not our blues
They envy our natural melanin yet tan too
We wear our style and they call it hood
They copy it now and say it’s all good
They want to erase our heroes and heroines
Because there’s a power in the skin we’re in
King, Tubman, Malcom X, Garvey and more are
Past heroes guiding future black American stars
They say it’s DEI and continue to denim deny
Racist goals and faulty souls as the reason why
Black is resilient beautiful and brilliant so true
You enslaved raped murdered hate, we don’t need you
Categories:
dei, abuse, america, anti bullying,
Form:
Rhyme
They're knocking at me door
In the middle of the night
They're knocking at me door
Giving me an awful fright.
They taking me
To a camp where
Ashes fall like black snow.
I'll not be overjoyed
By goose-stepping boys
With boots to their knees, oh hey,
And brown shirts and billy clubs
Cheese grater belly rubs
Coming to take me away.
Categories:
dei, abuse, america, betrayal, holocaust,
Form:
Political Verse
ORPUS DEI
It is the hand in action of dei
Via et epiclesis unus mysterium fidei
The hand that makes all feels great
He is God and ever is he brave
He is ever seen but not familiar
We all see it verba visibilia
It is him who owns what we see
Let’s all move in canon actionalis
I am audemus dicere I dare to say
Hesterni sumus et vestra omnia implevimus
That’s what I say because he makes me primus
I sleep and I always wait for the break of day
I don’t have to be pontifex maximus
Or be in sacerdotum to earn your trust
All I know is that all you see and know
Is orpus dei et compline complitorum
Categories:
dei, faith, religion,
Form:
Didactic
With every fleeting breath,
For the rest of my life,
I simply will not forget,
Your toxin,
My strife.
With a single drop you infect,
Flowing through my veins,
A sin I can’t repent,
Your touch,
My pain.
Without mercy you intrude,
Writhing under my skin,
A sensual interlude,
Your lyric,
My sin.
With shame I may repel,
Yet I return for more,
Instinctively compelled,
Your well,
My draw.
With patience I shall wait,
Spinning wheel of destiny,
Accepting my own fate,
Your prayer,
My plea.
With cold tears flowing my cheek,
Convicted soul within my midst,
Sono dipendente dei tuoi baci,
I’m addicted to your kisses.
(c) 2015 PJ Bayliss
Categories:
dei, kiss, love, romance,
Form:
Free verse
If leaden skies above you, responsive
As brass, are mocking your anguish’d heart cries,
Repulsing all resolution efforts;
Your angels holiday, while Father God
Seems distracted -- higher priorities
Eclipsing yours – Would this be the reason
You sit stranded on this park bench broken
Beside the path you once sojourn’d upon?
I know that He sent me to offer hope.
A savior I’m not, nor healing savant,
But a compassionate heart, listening
Ear, called alongside to steady your
Steps. Take my hand, walk with me, discover
His Invitatio to Gratia.
Categories:
dei, encouraging, relationship,
Form:
Sonnet
[It is the spontaneous utterance of the universal conscience.
- Elihu Burritt, “The Empire of Public Opinion”]
Remember that day, Elihu,
when you stood at your forge as the earth
shook underfoot. A steam-locomotive,
come to change the world.
Foot-traveler by choice, you walked out
to see what was left after the passing
of the Iron Dragon, and found a printing press
already spreading the news.
In not so many years, the Trans-Atlantic-Telegraph
would spread it even faster. You imagined
John of Patmos transported to your time, declaring
there was no more sea to separate
the continents, there was time no longer
between the event and the whole globe’s knowing it.
How quickly things can change,
yet some things seem to ever stay the same.
What word would you spread, Elihu?
You say Slavery at last is dead. But War –
destroyer of the soul – remains. Let the people
speak. Let it be God’s word. Peace.
Categories:
dei, history, peace, visionary
Form:
Free verse
Contemplating how and why
I search for reasons in the sky
I ponder why I'm not alone
While learning how to make a home
Her presence raises questioning
How love will bloom in early spring
Why she chose to be with me
New born life is what I see
A first for her, it's all brand new
I share advice on what to do
Why and how bring heavy thought
How and why that must be taught
Another chance to get it right
Against all odds we stand and fight
Perfecting me in every way
I'm thankful for her love today
My soul has missed it's guiding light
A stardust beauty, she glows at night
We saved each other and we know how
Together we change each other now
Later we both are fixed by why
Three stars, you see, in a star filled sky
Categories:
dei, appreciation, birth, change, love,
Form:
Couplet
Sometimes in Virginia when the scorching madness of xenophobia conspires
with a fragile, violent countenance, I fall to the darkest, bitter poison.
And in that carnage, a nation learns of impending destruction.
But the sounds of heaven like an unstoppable flood, poor over New Orleans and
comfort forlorn victims of embedded justice.
I am men, putting women in cages for birds, beautiful yet bound, loved but
unappreciated.
I am women, forsaking my sisters as they struggle to understand my privilege.
I tell you I am a paradoxical reflection of power and fear, love and vengeance.
And I am unstable.
And when the weight of unpaid wages reaches the precipice of doubt in young
impressionable prisoners of comparison, husbands shoot their children and run
to the abyss.
But I tell you there is a sound of redemption in Jill Scott prophecy and Bell Hooks’
gentle wisdom.
I tell you there is a sound of heaven that leaves me fearless, come what may.
Today, I went swimming with my daughter with a final exam the next day.
And in that moment, I knew that this crucible, does not rule me, bind me, or
define me.
Whatever this is, this unstable suffering of paradoxical reflection.
It does not rule me.
For I am an image of a sacrifice so sublime, that the gates of hell, pain,
conquest, or corporate idolatry cannot stand against it.
And in the end, I know peace forever.
Categories:
dei, love, sound, heaven, heaven,
Form:
Verse
You, Czeslaw,
like a brook of the earth,
welling up to the skies and more,
swelling up even to the sun and the stars
and all unknown, uncounted galaxies
and more, more than we can yet know
or ever will, till in timeless space
we dwell in a place where
our tears mingle with your own,
making of themselves and all
their visions and their dreams,
one endless, downpouring stream,
breaking through both time and space,
cleansing, clearing perhaps one small part
of one small heart of the human tendency
to be a living witness of evil, and not care.
2006 July 11
Categories:
dei, war,
Form:
Free verse
After Christmas comes Boxing Day
When mum carts the rubbish away
Like one of the boys
Dad plays with our toys
Day is done; what more can I say?
Categories:
dei, holiday,
Form:
Limerick
Twelve men in the beginning
reporting unto God
Ten Commandments to proclaim…
devotional synod
Sacred by their nature born
each man immortal bound
Divinity in every word
salvations thorny crown
Choices come and choices go
judgment waits beyond
The weight incumbent, buried deep
embedded in a psalm
Nine will cloister, locked in place
the future theirs to choose
Decisions based on marble text
—Noah’s Ark in view
(Villanova University: June, 2022)
Categories:
dei, god, judgement,
Form:
Rhyme
("Niobe's Tear", 2020, original encaustic)
The Lie of Equality and Truth of Universality
The world has always been divided
Along lines of haves and have nots
In whatever way you wish
To measure the having.
The difference today is
Inequality is no longer acceptable.
But since it clearly exists - empirically
In whatever way you measure -
And since one of those measures
Is the fact one group
Of people are the majority
That group must be repressive
And repressors by nature.
That in a nutshell is the basis
Of systemic racism
The only way to explain the disconnect
Between what is and what is desired,
Or what is actual and ideal.
It’s easy to dismiss the wave of D.E.I training
That comes next
As “Democrat’s Entirely Ignorant” indoctrination
But it’s deeper than that,
As the dream of equality runs deep
In everyone
Who just wants to get along
And can feel in their bones
Our connection and a universal something
Which is in fact the lack of individuality
At our core.
From this universal sameness
You could even say - nothingness -
We project all our hopes and fears.
The problem with the idealistic indoctrination
Is it wants to have it both ways
Individuality and universality
And so bridge the gap
Between fact and fantasy.
The problem with this
Of course
Is despite all our hopes and fears
It will only end in tears
Because when people who have been hurt
Get tired of being hurt
They don’t care who they hurt
And the truth of universality is simply
When we hurt others
We hurt ourselves.
(2/15/24)
Categories:
dei, perspective, society,
Form:
Narrative
They say Claudine Gay resigned today
Diversity at the university just died, we pray
Categories:
dei, death, education, symbolism,
Form:
Couplet
The Lamb of God
He came to us freely
Walked among us sinless
Taught us of God the Father
Healing the sick
Raising the dead
Setting free the tormented
Reaching out to the lost
Forgiving the sinner
Being the lamp unto our path
Showing His endless mercies
Suffered in our stead
Died to give His salvation
Rose again to show His power
Promised He would return
To take up His church
For eternity to live
In the presence of our God
Categories:
dei, faith, hope, inspirational,
Form:
Free verse
Today I’m grateful for Diversity, equity and inclusion…
and how in the whole pie of life each plays an important one-third..
Diversity is having a seat at the table
Equity is having a voice…
Inclusion is having that voice be heard.
Categories:
dei, life,
Form:
Rhyme