You smell like sweet roses,
But I've smelled the sweat of the weak.
My sight is as keen as an eagle's eyes;
I see the chains, rusted from years of injustice, binding the meek.
Segregation tried to tear us apart;
Tried to break our spirits, but we stood unbroken.
Like Carlotta Walls, I keep my head held high,
Disregarding the lies.
Even when the ground is unstable,
I feel the weight of all the cries,
But still, my will is unshakable.
Racism tried to steal our pride;
It tried to silence our voices,
But the roar in my protests shakes the sky.
Is it pain that makes you shy?
We taste the bitter ash of sorrow,
Long, hard fights.
I hear the whispers of a dream—
Thunder-loud, like the King's words shaking the nights.
The statues speak, but they are silent.
They don’t tell the battles we’ve fought,
The struggles we’ve survived.
Segregation tried to tear us apart;
It tried to divide us, but we remain unbroken.
Yet here we are, stronger than before.
Like the Proclamation’s call, we break the chains;
The day will rise — not just with light, but with our truth.
Categories:
carlotta, black african american, confidence,
Form: Rhyme
Curly haired Carlotta brought her curls onto our bus
Filling it up from seat to seat, annoying many of us.
Her hair grew an inch every fifteen minutes you see.
We could barely speak to each other for it was not wee.
These curls went down the aisle and into the seats.
Two guys sitting on some of it were known as the Petes.
We cannot cut it, they told us, for we did that another time.
Those curls transmogrified into thugs and held us hostage until almost nine.
Categories:
carlotta, 10th grade, 4th grade,
Form: Rhyme
Dorthea is a strange one, a weird thinker
She never starts her J’s in the middle of the line
I cannot follow her thought processes.
She is getting a D; something isn’t right here.
She is not a “normal” thinker.
She’ll probably be a drop out anyway.
I might as well get her started.
Bruce is bossy, overbearing, but a boy.
This will serve him well in the business world.
B for Bruce who brings me candies from the homemade candy shop.
I love Bruce; I cannot give him an A because he never does his work.
It’s a C for Carlotta; she is bossy, and girls should not be.
So I truly must take her down a peg or two.
I know she gets lots of A’s but she is arrogant and overbearing.
Girls should learn to keep their mouths shut. She has corrected me twice.
The A students are the compliant ones.
They stay in their seat. They do not make noise.
They do not argue, demand or ask anything of me.
They cannot make eye contact with me.
They are cowed an intimidated.
I like them the best. They never make trouble. A’s for those ten!
A’s because they have made my life as a third grade teacher easy this year.
Categories:
carlotta, 10th grade, 11th grade,
Form: Free verse
Dear Grandma,
Let's go for one last ride in the speeder car
Bring your ukulele and I'll bring my guitar
We'll sing, dance, and celebrate your life
You were a daughter, sister, mother, and wife
A sewer, knitter, gardener, and professional cook
Really... was there anything she couldn't cook?
Nearly 55 years with your high school sweetheart
Jerry and Carlotta, state of the art counterparts
You cared for others more than anyone I ever knew
and I can't even fathom my number of IOU's
Hugs, advice, a ride, or just some food
You always left everyone in a better mood
Every person here sitting in these pews
thought they'd have many more years with you
but no days are promised, that's the hard truth
72 years old and you were so full of youth...
I know you'd want us to be happy rather than blue
So every Easter Sunday we'll rendezvous for LuLu!
Categories:
carlotta, death, grandmother, heartbroken,
Form: Rhyme
My Dearest Carlotta,
my beloved inamorata,
you must be back in Austria,
far away from this dilemma.
I was an Austrian prince.
I let Napoleon convince
myself of greatness.
As an emperor and empress,
we would make great progress.
When you took my hand,
we had a great land.
Believing it all
I ignored his recall.
It led to our downfall.
I was merely a puppet on a string
controlled by a faraway king.
We possessed a title with our name.
However, in lieu of fame,
I have brought us shame.
Little did I know
at the town of Queretaro,
there would be an ignominious defeat
in the searing summer heat.
All my forces crumbled.
I am now in a small cell humbled.
Please hear my plea.
Please forgive me
for my gullibility.
I could not foresee
this fall into ignobility.
We have parted
leaving me broken hearted.
History must take its course.
Juarez shows no remorse.
I now await my demise
at tomorrow’s sunrise.
Your loving husband,
Maximilian
Categories:
carlotta, historyme,
Form: Rhyme