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Best Poems Written by Ja Angelo

Below are the all-time best Ja Angelo poems as chosen by PoetrySoup members

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Seven Principles Seven Symbols

A seven day event 
Based on African descent 
Culminating in giving gifts and a large feast
Based on African festivals ranging from the West to the Southeast. 
Within, you will discover the seven principles and seven symbols 
Kwanzaa also has several hymnals

The first day represents unity
Within their family, nation, race, and community 
Unity is important to succeed in tasks
All one has to do is ask 

Building from unity is self determination
This is the image you create for you and your future generations

Next comes Collective Work and Responsibility 
Finding solutions collectively to others problems in an effort to build and maintain the community 

Following this is cooperative economics by supporting businesses and profiting collectively 
This would work rather effectively 

The fifth day brings purpose to bring one back to traditional greatness 
This is done by teaching various vocations
Following this belief will greatly improve the community’s foundations 
Not to mention peer relations 

Creativity is leaving the community in better condition than when you became of age
This allows future generations to make a better wage 
It will also make for a community that is more beautiful and beneficial 

On the last day is faith in parents, teachers, and community leaders 
It is also a time to celebrate victories and be our own cheerleaders

Now on to each symbol
I’ll try to make it simple 
My intent is to familiarize each meaning

The first is crops to symbolize collective planning and work 
From a business person to a clerk 
The mkeka is full of nuts, fruits, and veggies
The crops on the mkeka varies 

On to the placemat, as I have aforementioned 
That was my intention 
It symbolizes historical and traditional foundation for people to stand and build their lives 

An ear of corn represents fertility 
One is placed for each child on the mkeka to bring luck in their ability 
The muhindi also brings hopes for the future of the family 
To spare them a life of agony 

The seven candles are meant to symbolize to recreate the sun’s light
These candles are placed in the kinara and shine bright at night 
Three red, three green, and one black 

The Unity Cup is used to perform a libation ritual in honor of ancestors 
They don’t get drunk and do dance gestures 

On the last day, gifts are given to encourage growth, achievement, and success 
This is best accomplished by making handmade gifts which may increase stress, but is also a caring way to express

Copyright © Ja Angelo | Year Posted 2022



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This We Shall Sacrifice

A day of prayer and fasting 
To show the Lord our love is everlasting
We promise to sacrifice a luxury or a pleasure during Lent 
It is forty days well spent 
We will not partake in what we sacrifice until Eastertide 
Hold on, we are in for a ride 
From burning palm branches from the previous Palm Sunday
We repent and pray 
With a cross on our forehead 
As the Bible has aforesaid 
Used as an external sign of repentance 
And our hope for heaven admittance 
Now comes the true test 
Are you ready for the rest?
This is not a time to sacrifice something easy
For that would be meaningless and sleazy 
Lent is meant to show God we repent our sins
For this is where forgiveness begins 
If you are a smoker, give up smoking
Be thought provoking 
If your pleasure is alcohol
Make sure you get a round before last call
Fasting is commonplace on various days of Lent
And should not be bent
For it symbolizes Jesus’ fasting in the wild before spreading His gospel 
This includes many religions but one is not Pentecostal 
Roman Catholics also abstain from meat
Vegetarians will surely not cheat
Do not get ashes from an urn
Remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return

Copyright © Ja Angelo | Year Posted 2022

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Yule

Shortest day, longest night 
Celebration of light
Glistening ice and snow
Temperatures low
Bare trees
Ponds freeze

Dress warm
Long sleeve uniform 
Cardigans and sweatshirts 
Goodbye mini skirts
Silk and wool 
Indoor pool

Soup and stew
Don’t misconstrue 
Wish Bread
Glaze spread
Cinnamon and cloves 
On stoves

Ice skating 
Snow tube inflating 
Snow skiing 
Snowboard leaping 
Snowshoe wearing 
Spectators staring

Hope, intentions, and new year 
Celebrate and cheer 
Yule brings hope of life
Robins and wrens in strife
Red, white, green, and gold
My, it’s cold!

Copyright © Ja Angelo | Year Posted 2022

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Pesky Phil

Groundhog Day 
What is it they say?
If he sees his shadow, six more weeks of winter 
Should we let something like this become a hinder
After all, this started as a Pennsylvania Dutch superstition 
Who thought of this proposition 
Was this used for farmers to seed their fields and grow crops 
If it was I have to give them props
For such a foolish thing 
To predict the coming of spring
The holiday spread throughout the United States
And into Canada surely the groundhog’s reaction had some meet their untimely fates 
Silly enough, this is not the only superstition of an animal predicting spring 
This surely isn’t a thing 
German speaking areas believed a badger could predict the weather 
All of these superstitions came from someone clever 
Supposedly, these are extensions of a Christian festival called Candlemas
Someone most have been smoking the grass
After all, studies have proven them all not correlated 
Still, some cannot help being elated 
It’s still unbelievable that studies were actually done 
They might as well conduct studies on black cats or another one 
Other animals like the bear, marmot, and fox were also used
But don’t worry none were abused 
It appears these lores all come from Europe 
I wonder if they drank too much of their special syrup

Copyright © Ja Angelo | Year Posted 2022

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The Dream

In 1963, Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. 
What he asked for should not have been a far reach. 
Dr. King was rather unique 
And boy did he like to speak
He spoke on equality and racism
And spread his message through activism
He was one of the most prominent activists during the Civil Rights Movement. 
He was hoping for enlightenment 
He led nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience
Based on his years of experience 
Dr. King was against discrimination and Jim Crow laws
They didn’t align with his cause
For this, the FBI deemed him a radical 
That just wasn’t practical 
He won a Nobel Peace Prize for combatting racial inequality 
A major step for civil rights in American polity
In 1968, Martin Luther King met his demise
His assassination led some to theorize 
Would he be surprised to how little we have come 
Or would he be thankful for improving equality some

Copyright © Ja Angelo | Year Posted 2022



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Fat Tuesday

Girls Gone Wild
Careful, you may just have a child 
Drugs and alcohol plague the alleyway 
Stay away as there is a price to pay
Is the meaning of Mardi Gras to go buck wild
Let’s look and see if it’s been defiled 

It started as a custom of using all the fats in the house
I wonder if any crumbs were left for a mouse
This was custom as it was the last night to eat rich and fatty foods
I bet this left people in good moods 
As it was a ritual to fast and sacrifice a pleasure
In hopes of good health and a great treasure 

Mardi Gras is a celebration of life before the somber holiday where we correct our faults and control any desires
In hopes of keeping Satan away with his temptations and fires 
Green for faith, purple for justice, and gold for power 
This is no time to turn sour
For we all need strength to resist his temptations
And carry ourselves peacefully like the United Nations 

In 1887, wow that was long ago 
Two French Catholic brothers brought Lent over from a chateau 
By 1889, women already exposed their breasts
To the rest
Men in tuxedos and women in lace
Masquerade balls, parades, and costumes were common place

In the late 20th century, commercialization caused more women to show their tatas arousing the men
However it is censored on CNN
This encouraged more people to flood the streets
While Bourbon Street residents charge for lawn seats
This sad state of affairs 
Is the heart of making millionaires!

Copyright © Ja Angelo | Year Posted 2022

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My Commanders In Chief

Many think this holiday honors all United States presidents we elect
But let me reflect
It is Washington’s birthday that we celebrate 
It honors President Washington and President Lincoln as of late 
Let’s see how they relate 

Washington was a good ol’ lad
He was the best that America had 
Unanimously elected to commander in chief 
He gave colonists some hope and belief
Posthumously, promoted to a six-star general 
That will forever remain unattainable 
Presided over the Constitution writing
That must have been rather exciting 
Unanimously elected as our first president for two terms 
To which he affirms 
Relinquishing his power
Setting a precedent for every successor 

Lincoln was a prominent figure
During the Civil War 
Another commander in chief 
With a strong belief 
His Emancipation Proclamation 
To end slavery in our nation 
He met his untimely demise 
By a Confederate that did not sympathize 

Both of these men deserve a day
For creating the country we know today 
Though it is not perfect in any way 
America is where I want to stay!

Copyright © Ja Angelo | Year Posted 2022

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Litha

Humid and hot
Scorching parking lot 
Longest day, shortest night 
Light and dark fight 
Shorts and tank tops 
Sandals and flip flops 

Cutting grass
Catching bass
Beaches and amusement parks 
Hungry sharks 
Summer-do’s
Badminton and horseshoes 

Green grass
Oaks and Sassafras 
Daisies and sunflowers 
Sun is up for hours 
Bonfires and torches 
People on porches

White, red, yellow, gold, orange, and green 
What a beautiful scene 
Lemon, orange, and rose
Litha strike a pose 
Power, creativity, and healing
Sights are appealing 



Brightness and inner power 
Stop to smell a flower
Litha is a scorcher 
Some think it’s torcher
Some think not
Wow, is it hot!

Copyright © Ja Angelo | Year Posted 2022

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Thank a Vet

Today, we celebrate the men and women 
The men and women who have served our nation. 
Served our nation to keep our freedoms intact 
Keep our freedoms intact to express our thoughts 
Express our thoughts based on beliefs and values. 
Beliefs and values that are opinions today. 
Opinions today that may become laws later. 
Laws later passed by politicians we choose. 
Politicians we choose on Election Day. 
Election Day allows the majority 
The majority votes to elect people
Elect people to serve Americans 
Serve Americans by creating new laws
New laws on abortion and education 
Education to help shape future leaders
Future leaders who are now our children. 
Our children deserve the same freedoms we have
Freedoms we all may have taken for granted 
Taken for granted and leaned towards extremism 
Extremism such as violent protests 
Violent protests like January 6th
January 6th was an attempted coup
A coup to undermine our democracy 
Our democracy that people will defend 
Will defend to the end by giving their lives
Giving their lives is the greatest sacrifice 
The greatest sacrifice for all the people 
People should honor and show some gratitude 
Show  some gratitude towards all our veterans. 
Our veterans protect our freedoms and laws.

Copyright © Ja Angelo | Year Posted 2022

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Christmas Traditions

Christmas comes but once a year
For us all to spread some cheer. 
How we do it is unique 
Others need not critique. 
Your traditions are your own
Don’t let others put them down. 
Our traditions make us special 
Be they different — still sentimental. 

Decorations and lights play there parts
The day after Thanksgiving is when it all starts
We demonstrate our faith in the Lord above
By showing others our respect and love. 
Expensive gifts are not required 
As businesses have inspired. 

From cacti to conifers
For treasures to others. 
And stockings or shoes
For goodies like cashews. 
The intent is the same
Sentiment is the name. 
This is the time of year
To show kindness for those we hold near. 

From homemade cards to store bought gifts
And homemade foods to store bought grits. 
Gifts can be made or bought,
What matters is the thought.
Too often we lose sight of its meaning
We give praise to God — the supreme being.

Copyright © Ja Angelo | Year Posted 2022

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Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry