Poetry

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In a Rush for Safety
now
More Than Just a Woman
Illusion
Life's Emotion
SISTAHS IN TURMOIL
'til you were gone
JUST ME
AMIDST THE SHADOWS
The War's Soldiers
Gaea

In a Rush for Safety

Standing at the top of the stairs
His hands tightly gripped on her shoulders
Looking down she can't help but think
How much steeper each step seemed
In a rush for safety
She closes her eyes
Breathes
And counts to ten
he slowly creeps open her eyelids
To find he has released her and she is lying at the bottom of the stairs
And suddenly
He is gone
In a rush for safety
She escapes into her room
Closing the door tightly behind her
And hoping the lock will withstand his anger
Her heart begins to race
As she hears his footsteps
No one is home to protect her
His angry voice begins to pierce her ears through the thin door
In a rush for safety
She opens the door
He raises something and she ducks
Suddenly there is blood trickling
She looks down
Only to find
It's not her blood
It's his
In a rush for safety
She falls to the floor
Helping the one she's loved
For far too long
He leaves, slightly harmed
And suddenly she feels a hope
A hope for his return
He doesn't return
In a rush for safety
She cries
Cries in relief
Cries from a broken heart
Cries that it's finally over

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now

i can tell what we had a month ago was bad
and what we had yesterday wasn’t great
but i can say with a smile
that tomorrow might be better
but i cant say i promise
and i only know
that today is a brand new day
for our luck to change
and what we have is now
and right now, i have you.

~Wilson Chung~

More Than Just a Woman

Woman
Sister woman
Student sister woman
Daughter student sister woman
Feminist daughter student sister woman
Teacher feminist daughter student sister woman
Worker teacher feminist daughter student sister woman
Strong worker teacher feminist daughter student sister woman
Powerful strong worker teacher feminist daughter student sister woman
Independent powerful strong worker teacher feminist daughter student sister woman
Wonderful woman

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Illusion

There is no face to the voice but only a name for your grace. Like the wind, I can feel the essence of your invisible presence whisking me away, taking my mind to another place where no troubles lie. What once was a waterfall of tears is now dried up like the earth of a drought faced desert. Uprooting the weeds of sadness and solace, harvesting fields of tender smiles and ripe laughter, your name lingers amidst the storms of endless thought. But once the deep rumbles of your voice are heard, the clouds are parted and the seas are calmed and quieted, revealing a place of clarity. There still remains an empty canvas to be painted, to bring together what I hear, and form what I have not seen, allowing my eyes to grace what I have never known. Like a rare plant, your species is hard to find. Far were your kind planted, and few able to flourish. While seeking I did not do, instead you were brought to me unexpectedly, only requiring faith and sincerity, to bring into existence what I thought of as an Illusion.

~Candace Mitto~

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Life's Emotion

Maybe if I close my eyes and just open up my mind, I could un-silence my mouth and allow it the freedom to unravel itself...

Expanding my horizons and lengthening my words, comprehending the conundrum expressed in each simple action.

Hardships not as hard as the ones we have been dealt, but convinced of never having felt this distress before.

Uncomfortable silences and momentary eye contact imposed by questions yet to be answered, but contradicted by a promise and a kiss.

Elegant and romantic movements dismissed by the subtle, simple setting of the ocean. 

The coy flutter of a stranger’s eyelashes as they carefully map out your intentions.

The fear of an enjoyable moment ever having to end.

The disappointment of expecting a phone call that never comes through.

Hate that empowers those who refuse Love’s invitation.

Creative thoughts that flutter across my mind, as a rushed butterfly would in the spring.

Memories that force a smile, followed by tears of nostalgia.

Remnants of an old love letter found in the dark corner of a closet.

The feeling of knowing that someone loves you, supported by the promise that they will love you forever.

Long loving moments give birth to their bitter ending, but its these minute events, soon to be forgotten, that immortalize our intricate emotions.

~Stephanie Gabrielle Augustin~

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SISTAHS IN TURMOIL

Loving you will drive me insane
It leaves me emotionally drained
As I try to maintain this perfect image
Of Woman
Strong
Keep my head held up high
And hide the tears I’ve cried
But as my façade begins to crumble
So in turn do I
I can’t let them see the misery in me

I should leave you alone
But you have got me torn
Between my emotions and my clarity
I am blinded by love the great weakness of my humanity

Light shines in but yet not bright enough to light my path
The path that will lead me to being free
The labyrinth of my emotions is as complex as my devotion
As confusion dances with doubt
I am convinced it is you that I can not live without
Air, water, earth, become mere elements
In a trance I make you my universe
My One
My Only
My King
You leave me lost and confused
But still faithfully I return to you

I say this to the only one that resides on my stratum
We don’t need no rings of platinum
Our bond was formed when we first connected on that level
Deeper than spiritual
Intimate and Personal
Too complex for the intellectual
You are the pages to my journal
Our love is free and flowing like words that transcend the depths of time

Sealed with a kiss so sweet
“like gold to airy thinness beat”
Can we be weathered by time and distance?
As my heart succumbs to the untimely withdrawal of your love
The planets of my universe collide
I am shaken to my core
In you resides the heart of a Man
And nothing more
Oh woe to me and my soul to want a love like Donne’s, but to be ultimately alone

~ S. Berry & Mellissa Etienne~

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'til you were gone

never realized the curves of your body
or why you loved me
‘til you were gone
never understood why you cared for me
or been there for me
‘til you were gone
i’ve realized that you deserved better
‘cause i didn’t care for you
the way you cared for me
and i didn’t love you
like the way you loved me
and in god’s eyes
he saw that you deserved better
and now i understand why you have moved on
but i’ll remember
even though you’re gone

~Wilson Chung~

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In moving on I find
I'm putting on a suit of armor.
It starts at my hairline
And it tingles down my head until it fits my body.
My brain recognized the feeling
Long ago, like an anesthesia
It numbs my soul.

I shook it off once before
And sang and turned my face up
For the sun to kiss.  The gypsy
Woman who lives in me gloried
At her chance to revel and feel again,
And prick my skin, I am alive.
I thought I’d died.

In moving on I find
Myself watching, dispassionate.
I’m just recording life now
Like a film.  The armor
Keeps me stiff, holding me
Up and at a distance
To just feel enough.

In moving on I find
Myself locking doors
Behind which lie the
Tattered and shinning
Moments of a life,
And yet, I hurriedly open them again
Just one more time, peering
Into the darkened womb of memories.

The armor grows heavier and the
Soul lies dormant, in an
Abeyance of its own.
The eyes, silent sentinels
Cold and smiling
Disengaged.

In moving on I find
A different me, guarded.
Watchful of an outstretched hand
Or smile.  Hesitant to step into
The dance of life again, observer
And observed.

In moving on I find
I’ve lost the gypsy and her song
Behind the armor, safe, alone
With empty smile, I stand
And breathe and breathe
I thought I’d died, I am alive.

~Carmen Larkin~

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The rain season has ended
Thank you my sister

~S. Berry~

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JUST ME

I am a maelstrom of emotions, but none of them ever deep.

Not a single feeling that I can grasp in my hand and no courage to show what I speak.

I’m convinced that I’m empty, a body without a soul and I’m bound to a presence that’s grown empty and cold.

But I speak of no darkness, just a light coming near that forces me open, and releases this tear.

I am a river of emotions in a barren wasteland that engulfs my whole being, and cripples my stance.

These chains of commitment built on lies and deceit, are a part of the struggle, the pain, and defeat.

Corrupted, hurt, and released, I’m on a path toward sunlight, that’s been hidden by the trees.

Bruised and broken I fight to gain what was once mine but a tainted image of myself is all that I find.

My own human afflictions offend me and my quest for happiness but this search for myself has left me at a fearsome and bottomless pit.

At my deepest hour, I kneel in despair praying for the courage to unload the weight I bear.

I have lost an important asset, if forgiveness is the key.

But an emptiness pervades my body and an anger invades my heart.

My bitterness runs deep.

~Stephanie Gabrielle Augustin~

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AMIDST THE SHADOWS

Is it safe?  That crystalline pool of light.
Darkness looks so black.
But in the night my laughter echoes!
My eyes dilate and I am wise
Because I see around me.
I see those who stand in the light though
They do not see me nor care for me
I am damned but along with so many.
Dwelling in the darkness,
Accustomed to the black,
I am here.

~Jasmine Nordcharles~

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The War's Soldiers

Soldiers marching towards war
Carrying what they need
Carrying what they long to have
Carrying what they believe is essential

Soldiers fighting for a cause
Dying for their country
Dying for their friends
Dying for their family

Soldiers weeping for one another
Crying because of their guilt
Crying because of their loss
Crying because of their love

Soldiers remembering their family and friends
Missing their lives
Missing their homes

Missing their lovers

Soldiers marching away from war
Leaving their sorrows
Leaving their anguish
Leaving their anger

~Wilson Chung~

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Feels cold,grey, quiet, empty,
Desolate, pulsating open wound.
The peeling away , layer by layer
Of pride, self, power, sex, passion.
Layer by layer I empty myself.

Standing in this place of letting go
In this place of self, I let my false pride
Flow from me like a river, the pride that
Kept me anchored, lifeless.; Breathing
But not alive.  Ah, the winds, how they
Sweep away the colors of ur life, the
Dreams, the words, the love, the kisses.

Standing in this desert, parched with
Bleeding, cracked lips and eyes that
Feel as if the sands of time were lids
I stand and breathe your name out
To the wind and you are gone.

There is no motion now, no life in this
Place of letting go.  I call ou to the memories,
The sunsets and the moutains, the quiet,
Soft gentle words of lovers, I release them.
I peel away the dna of what you left behind.

Standing in this place of letting go
I feel powerful and powerless, empty
As the ground that awaits the rain and
warmth of a summer day.  In this place
Where we first breathed together, I breathe
You away.

Standing where the forsythia's bloom today
In the place of letting go, it is cold, quiet,
Desolate.  Layer by layer, I peel away your dna.

~Carmen Larkin~

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Gaea

From her emanates survival
Not desperate, her strength is
Necessary and when she smiles—
Like terra mater she provides.
She brought me forth; I draw from her
What is necessary.Her flesh
Is the Rich soil that life springs
Forth from.She is a miracle.
She is her own Earth. I live there.;
I must breathe in her air. It smells
Of clean soap and baby oil. She
Nurtures and provides. Just as
Plainly as you please, this woman
Loves. And her love, which flows like an
Everlasting Spring,
Quenches the thirstiest of souls.
It gives Hope in a universe
That is floating apart. She is
Stability manifested.
When the Earth quakes, I fall to
My knees and clutch the ground because
She steadies me. How did this
Happen? So few experience this.
With my head on her lap, I feel
I am soaring through clouds.  Her
Gaze is sure. I believe in her.
She is a deity, in my dreams
She lets her hair loose.
It softly curls in the breeze.
She wears a garland like a
Grecian Queen
And gold dust brightens
her cheeks and
bare shoulders.

~Jasmine Nordcharles~

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