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Linda Carter Poem
The Mirror
When I look in the mirror I don’t see me, I see who I used to be. A little lost girl that was so abused and so misused, so ashamed of who she was, so helpless and so selfless. Yet somehow she refused to give in, refused to give up on life. Even though she tried.
She used her books to take her wherever she wanted to be. Away from all the hurt, all the suffering, all the sadness, all the misery. She could become the person she aspired to be in that book. It was her story. She was the glory. She had to be that person in her book.
Because real life was off the hook.
The shero was not what she saw when she looked in the mirror. She was no shero. She was not indomitable. She did not know how life would go.
A lost little girl is what she would see.
The person she did not want to be.
It was out of her grasp. Instead she had to gasp for air so that she could breathe another day, so that she could live another hour, so that she could move away from the pain and the strife, so that the sadness of life would not make her cower from the madness so rife.
In her real life story would she continue to be the victim, or will she emerge victoriously? It’s time to stop being controlled, seeking to be consoled and be in the role of her own destination. Move away from the chaos and strife. Make her way, in life, make her mark, walk her stride.
Will she ever be able to look in the mirror and see a true reflection of who she has become not a deflection of who she was? Will she see the woman that has emerged from the pain and the hurt and instead see the swarthy girl of a pearl that was a result?
It’s time to look to someone higher than me. I can’t do it by myself. The valley is too deep to crawl out of, too deep to dig out of, too deep to shovel out of by myself. I felt I had no one. No one that could console my sadness, that would not add to the madness, that understood my weakness, that would not exploit my meekness. No one that truly understood me.
That did not mean I had no one. Feeling alone is only a feeling. It is not necessarily so really. Yet those feelings have you reeling in and out of sadness and darkness and loneliness. There were always ones right by my side. My sadness blocked their view from my eyes
My good dad would say, “anything you want to be, look, just read it in a book”. Mom would say “you could write a book, when ended, send it to Oprah she’ll just love it, I’m sure of it. .I said “mom ok, whatever you say.”
I truly had big sisters that would tell me “don’t hurt yourself because someone else hurt you, hurt them”. They would tell me “you’re smarter than that don’t let them put you down. Don’t let anyone run you around or take your crown. And certainly don’t let them beat you down emotionally”.
Then there are my dear brothers when grown up beyond the past, looked out for our lives. They took us out of the misery and strife. They put us in a safe place away from all the pain we faced.
That was enough to get me through the
tough teen years. For all of them I will be forever grateful. For sure those years were truly fateful. Yet the heartache and pain lingered through the years on into adult tears.
When you look in the mirror ask yourself; Who provided your safe place, helped you move past the disgrace, wipe the tears from your face? Be grateful. I certainly am.
Now I can say I found that someone. I had never met a person—man woman or child that I felt was truly worthy of my love or whose love I felt worthy of. Until my sister introduced me to the one and only Jehovah that dwells up above.
That’s when I began to learn that in order to feel loved you have to know that you are loved by him. Life does not begin, life does not extend, life does not resend but revolves around the love that can only come from the one above.
Have you allowed yourself to be loved, to be graced by the essence of the mightiest love that like a dove only comes from above? Then and only then will you truly know love.
Now I can say my life is complete not just because I found my soulmate a man with no hate, that has never closed the gate of his heart to me. My Eddie, a man that is worthy of my love and I of his for 35 years.
My life is complete not just because my family is the epitome of family love that takes the hurt and sorrow and suffering and pain and deals with it without placing blame. Instead to the core we come out loving each other even more. Keeping each other from being maimed, instead keeping each one in the game of life.
My life is complete not just because I have a brother hood of friends that are out of this world good. Friendships that this world can not dismantle, they are the panel that holds the key to what friendship should be. We help each other bear what they can not handle because love is there.
My life is complete because I am never worthy but graced with undeserved kindness that will not be erased. He has taught me how to love. I know what love looks like, acts like, and should treat me like. I know how to have self respect and how to respect others. Without Him life is truly over!
Today I can breathe. Today I feel free.Today I am not needy but feel needed. Because of His reflection there is no deflection. I can give direction of how you too can find love.
Today I can see not the me that use to be. Today in the mirror, I can see me.
https://youtu.be/XKldnolBrbw
Copyright © Linda Carter | Year Posted 2022
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Linda Carter Poem
Beautiful Black Girl
Beautiful black girl your shade is divine, your silky lacquer skin looks so rich against mine. You are so beautiful, in time you will know it, you will be refined.
I lived so long with the shame of being so dark. I did everything I could, I scrubbed as if my skin were the bark of a tree that could hopefully be relieved.
Each day I would wake hoping today is the day, I just know I’m going to be lighter and great because of all the skin lightner I used the night before. I slowly raised my eyes, hoping for my surprise, only to my demise. I was still that deep, dark, black little girl. My heart took a whirl!
No I wouldn’t get any whiter so my heart got even flightier because I’ve already been enlightened that this world had no room for anyone that wasn’t lighter than me.
A little black girl that does not know her worth. You’ve been told everything but the truth about the brilliance and beauty that lies within you. This did not bring you happiness and mirth you’ve felt this rejection and sadness from birth.
People laughed at your skins lovely tone, you even hid and often moaned because you didn’t know you were the silky black gold you owned. Your shame is not just your own you loaned it to all the other little silky black girls that did not know their worth.
Then the world saw the stunning electricity of Anok, and the beautiful, talented qualities of Lupita strut their stuff with their silky black flowing rich radiant skin.
They can not help but see the stunning beauty outside and also within. After all of these shameful years, the prizes they win.
Now there’s a wave of the future for little black girls. No more insults will stick that may be hurled at those dark little girls. Instead they will flow uninhibited through this life dazzling and spirited as a beautiful black girl, like a butterfly should.
Inspired by the life of Lupita Nyong’o
Copyright © Linda Carter | Year Posted 2022
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Linda Carter Poem
In The Garden
Wow! Plants and flowers and everything, they beautify the garden and make everything green. But just underneath what is that I see moving? It’s a cobra in its lair with a baby coming to it. Oh no should I fear and call out or pursue it? I can breathe a sigh of relief it won’t harm anyone, in this garden harmful things are now gone.
Some trees in the garden are stately and tall, they tower and make everything else seem so small. I peered a bit deeper, look what I saw, a giraffe with some leaves in it’s mouth. Then on it’s back was a little sweet girl, she wasn’t afraid it would give her a whirl. That’s because in this garden, the giraffe was her friend, its out of this world! It won’t let her fall, it will carry her in the wind.
Some trees are huge their muscles just bulge, you feel so protected their strength will not fudge. Then high on it’s limbs there was something with spots. Is that an animal, I just know it is not! It was a big leopard cat, they were looking at it, and it looked at them back. No reason for fear, it won’t harm anything, it was beautiful and serene. We know that is true because of the one sleeping near by. They slept in pure peace cause no danger was nye.
Then there are beautiful roses and tulips galore, their colors explode and are bursting with more. Oh my look just beneath is that a little cub bear? There must be a mom, she must be somewhere. Just over the hill she was on her way toward me. I didn’t know what to do, I started to flee. No need to run, this is the same one that let the little boy cuddle up, while she showed him her precious little cubs.
This garden is special, so beautiful and free. No more will man have a gripe with the beast. No more will the beast feel they will have to flee.
In this garden everyone will be free, to that our magnanimous King will see.
Copyright © Linda Carter | Year Posted 2022
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Linda Carter Poem
I Am Whole
My limbs may be mangled and tore from its base but my heart reflects pure pride, you can see it in my face, there is no disgrace. Though my body has been through the ringer of life, my heart will not contain the poison of strife.
I am whole.
A limb is a limb, it’s only the physical me, but it can’t touch my spirituality. That’s what makes the man or the woman, not just the shell, when it’s gone there’s the other. Otherwise how shallow are we?
I am whole.
My eyes can’t see the hues of the light, every time of day it looks just like night. But that does not stop me from being intelligent, that’s not all in the eyes, it just isn’t, it’s in the cement of the brain, I still have good sense.
I am whole.
My ears just can’t hear what you’re saying to me. I see your lips moving but I can’t hear a thing. My eyes draw a picture of what I think you’re trying to say, I’ll learn to move my fingers, that’s the sign language way to convey what my mind wants to say.
I am whole
My body may be mangled in one way or another, but still I can soar and show off my dynamic colors. My body may be missing the benefit of legerity, but my personality is unstoppable which leads to sure prosperity because,
I am whole.
Copyright © Linda Carter | Year Posted 2022
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Linda Carter Poem
Eyelashes
Eyelashes are such a little bitty word, and they in themselves are little bitty too. They said “girl did you know all the stuff I can do?” Put those things on and then bat your eyes, trust me you’ll look and say “oh my my “.
I wonder if eyelashes could do all of that. When you put on eyelashes you put on eyeshadow too because it brings just a spat of the sparkle and hue.
You can’t put on eyeshadow without putting on make up too, once you spread it on, your skin looks like silk embued. Why not go further and put on the rest, the red lipstick you have brings out your best.
A little bit of color on your cheekbones to give just a little glow of Chic Radiance, will let it show. You look in the mirror, and you say “is that me?” That is one gorgeous lady I see. I am ready to go, can’t want for much more.
But now wait a minute let’s get to this hair, I can’t walk away and leave it right there. I’ll comb it and prep it and put it on the side, where it will glide, until it looks its best like all the rest, then I can say “Thank You Next.”
All this just from eyelashes, you did not know what they could do. I didn’t either until my niece introduced them with the pen glue. Now I won’t leave them they make me feel renewed. I love my eyelashes, they help me love me too.
Inspired by Crystal of Chic Radiance
https://youtu.be/oA9ldfFQog8
Copyright © Linda Carter | Year Posted 2022
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