When I was young, the holidays
Were filled with fun and food.
We spent the day with relatives,
All in a happy mood.
At least, that’s how it seemed to me -
My cousins and my brothers
Enjoyed the time we got to spend
Just hanging with the others.
Of course, I never thought of
What the grown-ups had to say -
The cleaning and the cooking
And rambunctious kids - Oy vey!
The hours in the temple
Followed by a home-made meal
And perhaps there were resentments,
Some unable to conceal.
Then the clean-up and the travel
As exhaustion staked its claim.
Still, the warm embraces reaffirmed
That all were glad they came.
Today I am the grown-up
And my eyes are opened wide
As I view the coming holidays
From the much-less magic side.
How sweet the sorrow
How deep the void
We go on with one less tale of footprints in the sand beside us.
With wishful eye is cast memory’s glance to those prints found falling forever behind, the spirit of their artist slowly fading from this earth as the winds of time swallow even our own mind’s memory of their placement.
Gathered in our grief,
huddled in our memories, recalling the joys,
experiencing the heartache, sharing the load of all those who will somehow carry on,
we proceed in reaffirmed certainty of our own impending fate,
less in number
aware of our solitude
all the more alone
yet better for having had a moment in which to share life's path together.
There is to be
an eclipse today --
a contrary moon
having its dark side
illuminated –
nothing with free will strong enough
to turn its back entirely on light –
America in shadows now
under veil of opposing contrasts
The sun, reflective candle
of near revelation, with mission
of source inextinguishable
like that burning bright
in the heart of all men, Power
All Mighty, lustrous center
of brilliance indwelling
unstoppable
Truth will conquer!
and love will once again heal
our nation
Trusting in God reaffirmed
indelible!
Our Revolution sought limitations
On imposition of regulations,
But supplications met deprecation
And castigations not reformation.
Such condescension sparked protestation
And contemplation of separation;
This supposition stirred apprehension -
A premonition of confrontation.
But, declamations and remonstrations
Spurred agitation toward Declaration,
While provocations and deprivations
Steeled resolution for liberation.
War's prosecution, through execution,
Forged dedication for recognition;
Its culmination brought dissolution
And vindication for aspirations.
While extrication brought satisfaction
States' acclamations lacked definition.
This Federation showed imperfections;
Low validation forced redirection.
Deft composition penned Constitution;
Strong propositions scored affirmation.
Hence, generations find inspiration
And preservation their obligation.
-------------------------
Tell all the people yet to come
Democracy is what we chose;
Their mission's goal: protect it from
All foreign and domestic foes.
She did smile
And i then gushed
Like only a father can
Giving her hand away
On her wedding day
30 year's of mind
Yet only at the age of 5
Placed inside a foreign language
school without a single word
to speak or understand
Left alone in charge of my
father her grandad palliative care
Held my hand right to the very
end at the vets when my dog
was to be put down
Is it any wonder this kind hearted
child grew up so quickly
And was and to this day the
one that so called grown ups
call upon in times of need
While never stopping once to think
The cost of that the shoulder
placed upon had to bare
Is neither was nor was fair to ask
And thank the lord for i but not
her today
Stood beside her own father
And i seen and sore that very child
With nothing but a beaming
smile upon her face
And in some small way it reaffirmed
my lost belief in life
And that sometimes you actually
get out what you deserve
And the simplest of smiles
Means as much if not more if
you care
To you than it does to them
NGBOEJEOGU THE NEGLECTED SON
With a lamp hanging on the thatched wooden kitchen
I stared on the pot on fire as it boils hot ready for garri
I got lust in taught and my head shaken
This taught of the fall makes me worry
A cold breeze whispered and I shivered
The shock of the 11 I have not recovered
NGBOEJEOGU I mumbled
As a coconut fell down from its tree in grumble.
Crock crock crock an old frog echoed
It was the echoes of hard times
The night melodious cricket reaffirmed
The chicks have grown wings and perched
I saw as they fight the space with the hen who laughed
They forget the kite prefers them as prey in absence of mother hen
As they picked the ground and fed
The kite prepared to land and feed.
The night moon in council with the glowing stars
Shining brightly on the sky
While the owe cry in singing
Under the mango tree I sat weeping
Amidst this tears of fear
The terror of the day light draws near
The cats shine it's bright eyes as it settles
As I took the pot of the fire in feeble
Annie, our Golden, is a member of the family
Just like a daughter, it's really quite uncanny
When going out and then on our return
Our love's reaffirmed
Her excitement explodes, our dearest sweet Annie
Fanciful imagination and conjecture reaffirmed and thus reinforced, setting up a vibration resulting in manifestation of reality wherein we are the co-creator of both actor on stage as well as director backstage, with the actor in hypnotic trance believing himself to be the free willed doer and performer of the script already pre-written by himself.
‘Who am I?’ I ask
Unattached to any task
In blissfulness bask
15-August-2020
Does not manhood kill the boy,
each falling leaf a tree destroy
or shall the substance of past things
return to us though memory brings
but shadows' forms unless confirmed,
cast anew and reaffirmed
by us at present living?
Knee on my neck
Help me, I can't breathe
Not a move was made
No help received
Another life lost
Reason matters not
No remorse for the action
Regret only, we got caught
White is a color
Black is a crime
To long the injustice
Open your mind
Together we must come
United we must stand
Color has it's privilege
Equality it must demand
Turn the other way
No place in this fight
Live freely without fear
Everyone's right
Help me I can't breathe
Sit with his words
Turn privilege into action
Be the change reaffirmed
I place
My head down
Physical sight close
Another eye opens
The duality of my existence
Reaffirmed reaffirmed
Images images
Swirling swirling
Consciousness
Buffeted buffeted
By the enormity
of it all
Faces faces
Places places
And the
Silence silence
Of it all
Oh
What am I to make
Of it all
I try hard
Not to
Feel feel
As this will make me
Reel reel
And it will all become
Real real
And I
Racked with the
Guilt guilt
Full full
Up to the
Hilt hilt
In guilt
For then
Questions questions
Was it my
Actions actions
Or lack of
Reaction reaction
But
Wait wait
Why
Am I am i
Responsible responsible
For the
Echo echo
Of duality
As I am the only one
Awake awake
As everyone
Sleeps sleeps
So i
Explore explore
Ways to
Ignore ignore
But this
Cold hard suit of
Indifference indifference
Doesn’t quit
Fit fit
Frustration
Simmers simmers
Emotions
Leak leak
Attach like a
Leach leach
Oh Father
Why?
Why?
Have you
Forsaken forsaken
A-s you say your solemn oath,
R-enew your divine duty;
N-eglect not your function,
O-n the fourth of January.
L-earn to fulfill your solemn oath, obey each and every rule;
D-on't ever break your vow,use your spiritual tool.
S-olemn oath is reaffirmed,
O-pening the door for fervor;
L-et the shortcomings turn
I-nto virtue, merit, and ardor.
M-ake a promise once more,
A-s you read what you wrote;
N-ote of a holy pledge is the message of solemn oath.
The way you speak to me
Is the way I allow
But that is over now
The front is over
I’ve played that part out
The way you speak to me
Is refreshing yet cold
Do you see that I’m getting off this road
I’ve been putting myself down
But my energies are refocused now
I don’t have pride
Or self worth
Or the esteem
To let others crush my dreams
The way you speak to me
I think I may drown
In Love Or Lust
I’ll put a bullet in this soul
For You
Change is coming soon
My playbook has new rules
Full of self worth
And self esteem
I reaffirmed
I acknowledged
I learned
That the way I speak to me
Is all the words I need to know.
Annie, our Golden, is a member of the family
Just like a daughter, it's really uncanny
After going out, upon our return
Our love's enthusiastically reaffirmed
Her excitement explodes, our dearest sweet Annie
It is more profound
Than one might surmise.
Is it fate, karma...is it providence?
What has determined the date and time?...
That very moment
We make our grand entrance...
Into this world?
And to revisit the date
A self-imposed holiday...
As surely as the tides flow
As the season's change...
How glorious.
How well you've navigated...
The perils and pitfalls.
How determined you are...
To leave this world a better place.
Reaffirmed every 365th
What gift could I give
That you haven't already achieved
Other than my acknowledgment and praise...
My time and my love?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Copyright 2016 Iger Rolyat All Rights Reserved
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