We push to stand at the world’s edge,
to see it first, to touch it first, to claim it as ours.
But what is gained by being first?
When being second has a gift. We can share the moment with those who came before and those who will come after.
So I ask: what would you prefer?
The beauty of sharing, a living memory in the present, or the ache of being first, felt alone.
My grandmother's hands
knew things mine have forgotten,
how to make bread rise,
how to hem a dress
so it would last.
She saved everything:
buttons in mason jars,
stories in the space
between stirring and serving,
love in the way she said
my name.
This is what we lose
when we move too fast,
the slow art of remembering,
the patient work
of passing things down.
Her kitchen was a kind of church
where recipes were prayers,
and every meal
a small act of keeping
the world together.
Now, I try to learn
what she never had to teach:
how to make something
with my hands,
how to turn memory
into bread,
into words,
into something
that will feed
the ones who come after.
Each story I tell my daughter
is a vote against forgetting,
a way of saying:
this mattered,
we mattered,
you matter too.
I am all the people who came before me And I am all the people who will come after me
This is an ode to all of our ancestors Just because we don't all share the same blood Does not not mean that we are not one
To me inheritance Isn't just about family But communal experiences
I inherited my voice From those who were silenced but not quiet
I inherited my purpose From those who didn't get justice
I inherited my essence From ghosts Of our ancestors
I inherited the power of love A force stronger than the hatred They shoved down our throats
I inherited the strength From those who dared to go against the system
What I honour is every black life who fought, spoke and died for us And it would be a dishonour to keep quiet and not speak up
And to them I'm very thankful
And my children will inherit All of the above
An ode to our ancestors
Going through the storms of life,
I thought my tears had dried up.
Unexpectedly, the pain was so great.
Is it true that today my heart is aching
Or am I strangling my heart
Each day that passes,
The pain grows greater,
Tears are about to fall.
And I know I am living true to myself.
Someone has dug out my heart,
Thrown it on the ground, and stomped on it.
Indifferently. Fake, betrayal, exploitation.
Great sadness will come after great joy
Is it true, they say, I just hope it is not.
Never be afraid of losing someone
If you have done the best for her
It's not you who lost her
But she's the one who lost you
For when she realize the wrong later
Surely, she will come back to you
If not, she will apologize personally
Make amend and show for reconciliation
For peace always come after the storm
And goodness always wins in the end.
Life hit me hard on the face
I became vulnerable
Even when I know many
It's like I know none
None is ready
To support or give a helping hand.
Everyone wants me to be loyal
Even when they know I am royal
Everyone wanna bend me
Even just for bread
They only come after me
Anytime I'm down and vulnerable.
Life keeps teaching
People kept on torturing
None wanna nurture
Even when we're same culture
They still act like vultures
Steady leisure
Without rendering any support.
My bones, my mind, my love doth know
For the sun’s light come after the crow
Of a rooster proudly doing his duty
Rising each morning, to a new beauty
Colors dance and leap across the sky
I wake to the noise I need not reply
Let me sit and ponder
The forest in my mind I wander
Sit in the stillness, the peace of morne
I have no felt this since the day I was born
Let time become slow and the seconds pass by hours
Stop and smell the roses, smell the flowers
The inevitable
is always true
not determined by the hand of man
their plan prosper not
determined by the hand of God
A lie small or big stays a lie
corrected by the owner
for row
a sure result
Understand this truth
good and bad growths together
BALANCED
both determined by One
a lie a free will
and by free will also
be forgiven
Repent does not come after
the inevitable
and as said
only a few
will gain entry
So enjoy life for you know not
if you name be added
to a short list
enjoying life
probably the only hope
includes morality
striving for harmony
Who knows maybe a ticket
be granted to the many
However in truth only a few.
In respect to God
always said
the truth abovementioned
The Question then be raised
Although exists this truth
Which to all want whilst walking
prior
the inevitability harmony that's true
Best be in harmony
for after the inevitability all
may not.
Let us keep then the in mind
rather experience misery after
and in life joy.
Strive all then towards getting
a ticket
as you never know
No guarantee
I fear that unknown future date,
When reality will permanently fade,
And what will come after will be death,
When there wouldn't be any debt not paid.
My soul'll then aimlessly wander!
Maybe it'll float in a wide space,
Full of an afterlife wonders,
That may abound in that cloudy place.
Maybe I'd be with the spirits or alone?
I'd probably be flying lazily about,
Since I'll leave without my bones.
Then, I'd find afterlife no longer a doubt?
Probably I'd see the angels sing,
I'd also learn their new songs;
By clinging to their angelic wings;
While playing rhythm with my gongs.
Maybe my spirit'll find somewhere to hide?
Or It'd be sent to heaven or even to hell?
Would it be sent back to be born as a child?
Or wait there till the angels'd ring the final bell.
The big thing about being a couple
Is the death thing
I mean if I die before you
Who is there to back you
If you die before me
How many will come after
Batman is a rich guy
with an all over bullet proof vest
That’s if I ever let go your hand
Ripped the world from its only hope
I can’t feel my legs
That’s because they are over here
With the rest of your body parts
No heaven for me
Cause I will bring a sword
Prove your mistake
If you took them away
I never knew I liked the sound of snoring
Watch them doze
hopes of dreams anew
Love you even
when I am not
here.
It is a fine day to laze in the grass
And to think about that beautiful lass.
Her pretty eyes are lit with laughing fire
And she fills me with impassioned desire.
Alas, in this green field I cannot stay.
I must rise and go and be on my way.
Hardships behind and many to the fore.
How far must I go to settle the score?
It may be long and long ere I get home,
For far and far life has lead me to roam.
Time and time I have studied to go there
And day and day drink in familiar air.
I stand and pick up my gun and my pack,
Setting my feet to the long winding track.
Will she be there when I am home again?
Or, will I have to find another, then?
A man is not a man when he observes
His nation attacked and himself reserves.
He must make a strong stand against evil,
Or see all destroyed in the upheaval.
I may lose too much as an absentee,
But this is for those who come after me
I want their future to be free from fear
And have the kind of life I hold so dear.
To those, who wasn't loved enough, in fullest measure,
I dedicate my lines to ones being dumped, not treasured.
So many broken hearts are hurt, so plenty,
Always alone and sad, loveless and empty.
But for despair, though, there is no reason,
And Spring will come after heart freezing winter season.
There comes a time when fruits get ripe,
When heaven clears from checkers and stripes;
When night gives way for the break of dawn
And light of the morning comes to spawn.
When sun blazes a ray of gold,
The hands, long empty, find a heart to hold;
When long wait comes to a glorious end,
The tears will fall for the wounds to mend.
And now the day has come after all,
When heaven calls for the grace to fall;
For, great toil blossomed into golden petals,
So, comes the time for trophies and medals.
The moving truck is there,
will they be going soon?
They truck is loading everything,
I watch them as they do.
The moving truck is there,
it’s got a seasoned crew,
the truck is loading everything,
to take them some place new.
They’ve loaded the big couch,
they’ve stacked up all the chairs,
even packed up the bicycles
they could have ridden there.
The moving truck is gone,
the street is clear again,
the cable-guys came by after
to disconnect the mains.
The moving truck is gone,
that house is now empty,
we don’t know who will come after,
I guess we’ll have to see.
They could be young parents,
or be retirees,
as long as they’re not party types
it’s all the same to me.
A world without poetry,
Is not for me.
A world without poetry,
Would have no place in it for me.
A world without poetry,
Is something that would make hope hard for me.
A world without poetry,
Would suck the joy out of me.
Thankfully I live in a world that has poetry,
For me,
Thankfully I live in a world that has poetry,
For more than just me,
Thankfully I live in a world that has poetry,
For the generations that will come after me.
Thankfully I live in a world that has poetry,
That will not die with me.
In a world where poetry still has a place,
At more than just my place,
The future of the Human Race,
Is one race,
For a bet I must place.
Related Poems