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Shaneika Cooper Poem
Soul Food
By: Shaneika Cooper
It didn’t miss me, it came one hot day when mother nature woke me up
Two ham hocks on the side, one big plate of dressing sticking out in the back
Yeah, I got about three extra helpings when all the other girls got one
Mama laughing and telling me I was growing
While daddy stood in the shadows praying no one noticed
Boys would stare, thinking I’m older and one of those experienced ones
But I was a child, sweet and innocent, not ready for lust to come in
Clothes fit me tight, showing off the extra helpings
Kids teased me, cause I was a little “thick” around the middle
Constant assumptions of where it all came from cause mama was flat and
shaped like a keg
Constant rumors and discrimination when I was the one hurting
I was the one ashamed of the extra baggage and didn’t know how to accept it
I was the victim….
But one day, an angel, a savior, walked into my life and told me to accept it
To love it, cause I was one of the lucky ones
To hold it, cherish it, and present it well
To come to the realization that this doesn’t define me, and will never define me
because I’m the warrior
The true victor, the prizewinner
The beautiful heart and smile that will be rewarded someday with hope
And strength
Soul food.
It held me, made me
That cornbread, them collards, that macaroni
Can I have a second helping?
Copyright © Shaneika Cooper | Year Posted 2006
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Shaneika Cooper Poem
She sits on her throne with a fixed smile on her ebony face
staring into the crowd, she sees the peasants all grim and dull
But the smiles on their faces tell her they have love, strength, and happiness
As a child in the Congo, she would swim the river and look upon the villages
filled with them
And like now, their smiles filled her hollow heart
Laughter choking the air
Making her existence stale and ignored
Love, dangling above her like her pet monkeys swinging in trees
imported from Asia for her father insisted she have the best
Turning away from the crowd, she looks into her
room filled with silks from India, Diamonds from caves in inner Africa
Plush pillows filled with feathers from geese that were handpicked from
prosperous farms
She sits in her vanity, unwinding the long braid of hair secured at the top of her
head
The long black hair falls beyond her shoulders, past her waist, until it lands
above her ankles
A treasure, a beauty envied by all
And she used this, above the Congo River
Standing on her balcony
To drop, to tie it to a rail
to snap her neck, and hang freely
with one last breath, one last peek
at laughter and happiness
A life this queen never knew
Copyright © Shaneika Cooper | Year Posted 2007
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Shaneika Cooper Poem
Huh?
You asked me about my first love?
What love?
Copyright © Shaneika Cooper | Year Posted 2006
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Shaneika Cooper Poem
I Remember…
By: Shaneika Cooper
I remember a time when I used to smile
A smile, so grand and beautiful that all believed it were something real
A hope worth waiting for, or at least they believed so…
I remember love, trust, and peace within myself, and self- worth until it was
literally stolen from me
Until my children were ripped from my womb and sold to foster parents that beat
them and shamed them
My worth shattered, thrown, pushed to the side and spat upon by that unforgiving
force
But like Jesus did, I fought
Not with fists of steel, or minds filled with vengeance
But with sense, soul, and spirit
I fought and excepted the pain, the hurt, the torture
And I became a warrior, a queen, and an heiress
To the throne of salvation
I fought and told my daughters to stop crying
To stop worrying and to protect their pride, their heritage
To cherish that fruit of essence placed inside of them to prosper
Their minds, body, and existence, saved from confinement
I told my sons to stand strong and walk with pride
To be the brothas that they shall be
I told them to laugh and carry on the name of my legacy
My peace, my song, my faith
And my children did…
They fought with me, died with me, became statistics with me
Wounded in battle, and losing the shield iron
We were all warriors, and lost the war
But I am the true, undying one
I am Africa
Copyright © Shaneika Cooper | Year Posted 2006
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Shaneika Cooper Poem
Do This in Remembrance…
By: Shaneika Cooper
Light a candle, turn on a light, whatever…
Open a book, lift a heart
Write a poem, a story, and hold it to yourself
And sing and cry out a joyful sound!
Do this to spread knowledge, art, spoken words
And grasp a hand, and hold it tight
To carry on the legacy of my name
Copyright © Shaneika Cooper | Year Posted 2006
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Shaneika Cooper Poem
I got a friend, yeah she cool
She a friend most people call crazy, but I like her the way she is
She can take a hit
throw a punch
She corrects me when I get out of line
yeah she cool
But what about the times when she talked about me?
Or called me out my name?
Or when she let my name be dragged through the dirt
Was she so cool then?
Maybe so, I really don't know
But through it all she showed me that I could take my own hits
And throw my own punches
Cause our friendship was like a seesaw
tilting up and down until she jumps off and BOOM!!
I'm left there crying and hurt
While she laughs cause i'm on the ground
But instead of kicking more dirt on me, she lifts me
up and brushes my clothes off
"I was playing", she says, "You know I got your back."
And she smiles and says come on, and I run after her because I believe her
Copyright © Shaneika Cooper | Year Posted 2006
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Shaneika Cooper Poem
Weak
By: Shaneika Cooper
Sometimes emotion takes over and I slip
You can look at me with that sexy smile and damn!
It’s over!
Those arms holding me
Caresseing me, sending me over the top
Making me wanna lay you down
And do whatever my body says
I get weak, so helpless
And ready for your love
Just a kiss, a touch
Has me yearning
For that love that drives me crazy
And that love that has me
Coming back for more
Copyright © Shaneika Cooper | Year Posted 2006
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Shaneika Cooper Poem
Stairs
By: Shaneika Cooper
I’m too cute to lower myself to your level
So turn around and go back DOWN
Your stairs, and I’ll turn around
And go UP mine!
Copyright © Shaneika Cooper | Year Posted 2006
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Shaneika Cooper Poem
To you all, I will conquer
By: Shaneika Cooper
Most of ya’ll don’t like me, and I know ya’ll certainly don’t
Believe in me
You cut your eyes at me and point the finger just cause I’m that black girl
With the automatic destination
But little do ya’ll know, I don’t need your approval
I don’t need your blessing
Cause I’m a blessing, a strong confident blessing
Whose voice will ring in a thousand ears
Yeah, I ain’t the smartest, or the finest
But I’m a perfect ten in my book
And you know what?
Someday you will be the one working for me
Doing my dishes
And I’ll just sit back on my throne and laugh!
Copyright © Shaneika Cooper | Year Posted 2006
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Shaneika Cooper Poem
When I depart, I’m gonna laugh
Just cause I’m out of YOUR bondage
So don’t even think about asking me back
Cause once it’s over, it’s done, finished!
Cause once I depart, I’m gonna turn around and smile!
Copyright © Shaneika Cooper | Year Posted 2006
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