Category: Poetry Festival

Read Poetry: I’ll Be Damned, by Billy Dew

Praying all day to a god

But not taking action to help his people

You call yourself to be religious

But to me you’re just as evil

 

Sunday mornings 

You there when the doors open

Smiling and taking money

From the hopeless

 

Preaching “Will a man rob god”

When you robbing the congregation

Telling me about heaven

How good is your salvation

 

Thousands of denominations 

When there is only one creator

Prophet even said you will do greater things 

And you act like you’re not a savior

 

If that’s what you call living

Then I’ll be damned

Read Poetry: MY SWEET HELL, by Christopher Rosana

Fair, freakish, faithful,

Fabulous, forceful, fierce,

Fiery embers laced upon the bond closely made, eye to eye,

Forceful, ah irresistible, desires of the calm evoked,

Fastidious, detail and detail of my stares, your gazes, elicited by the mystery of you,

Foment my fears to their demise, sweet betide even with painful salty tears,

Folksy, though unseen, I see the paradise in your eyes,

Fasten your weird self upon mine own, see me true for yours to own,

Finding what hitherto unfound, camp at my fiendish straits; unleash your fierce,

Fire, fire, fire, though I may burn, I burn not truly for am only warming me up,

Fire, Hell, inferno, you bring, a better sweet to the cold indifferent docile others be,

Tis not hell you bring, not truly, tis warmth that burns all of my winterish fears when away you are,

Tis not hell you bring, truly, tis flowery beauty of you

This is the hell you bring, a hell that isn’t hell, but sweet.

Read Poetry: Jealous, by Zachary Walma

Pretty eyes, pretty thighs, pretty face she never wanted.

Forced to live inside an object of desire.

Introverted, anxious, and the center of attention.

Watched from every side, waiting to be acquired.

Wanted, but never loved, by misfortune or chance.

Every prospect wanting more than she could give.

Taking if they could, every piece of satisfaction.

to pacify the needs with which they’re forced to live.

This way, and that way, in every kind of direction.

Taken, passed on, and consumed by the restless.

Never replenished, left weary and unfulfilled.

Caught up in the cycle, until she met Jealous.

Jealous knew more than any of the others.

Jealous payed attention and expected the same.

Jealous never slept so as never to lose her.

Jealous kept her close since the first time he came.

Jealous worked hard to keep what he wanted.

Jealous made damn sure she was contained.

Jealous didn’t like seeing her with others.

Jealous was stubborn and easily enraged.

Wanted, never loved, pretty object of desire.

Trapped in attention for which she never asked.

Running, recaptured, by Jealous devoured.

Things that are pretty don’t easily last.

Everyone wants, everyone needs, most of us take whatever we can get.

Give what you can, love if you can, don’t end up eaten by Jealous regrets.

Read Poetry: At This Hour, by Latonia Sears

One soul one heart one mind who was blind, twisted and hurt

It is very hard to tell sometime in the world at this particular time

As tragedy keeps a count of the lives in that have regretfully fallen

It seems stranger and stranger almost like a cancer and as in reality

Like the illness still no cure only uncomforting tears and unbelief

Everywhere we go lurks this unfamiliar danger fueled by anger and hatred

This earth of ours is really off it’s axis because this keeps happening

America is behaving like a third world country instead of the greatest

Mothers Majesty the home of the brave and the land of the free

Has this become the end of liberty and following your dreams till you grow

So many people young, old keep stifling others lives in this kind of violent protest and shame?

Torn hearts and broken minds and beings that have now become departed souls in time

Nothing making sense and the masses are on the verge of giving up on life

Americans being struck down when they did not ask for it just living life

So much first time drama appearing over and over again in our life

No tell, tell signs alerting any individuals to the coming of this devastation

That has taken a choke hold on our country, our home our nation

The place that has always been my home with no doubt only assurance

America the beautiful this land of peace and prosperity where hate has ran free

Archived by a host of earlier henchmen but this is a totally different type of indignity

It has no real ethnicity the only color that is making headlines is the color of death

I will hold onto the hope that one day this country can become a better place to live

America a place of refuge and good living damn near a paradise to some of us

I believe in my country and the stars and stripes our flag bears so brightly

A country where being free is a dangerous thing a matter of life and death again

Individuals taking their freedom to the extreme and not caring about their fellow man

So many people thinking selfishly acting like real dupes who feel hurt and won’t understand

Before we lay down to sleep this night say a prayer for the families who are in tears

Trying to figure out why their loved ones had to say their fond farewell, adieu

That love will hang a halo over their hearts let God send his angels to help dry their tears

Seventeen more who had so much potential an aspirations “ Their God given right”?

Yeah that is the thing about America these days a lot that is given isn’t about God

As four words continue to adorn American currency “In God We Trust” What?

Read Poetry: Senses, by Eric Garner

Your pure beauty

Triggers my sense

Your everlasting laugh

Turns my days from gloomy

Your lovely smile

Sends me flying for miles

Sweet voice

Makes my heart warm

Your tasteful lips

Make me grasp you

Holding you tighter

Feeling your heartbeat

Holding my hands

Whisper in my ear

I know you’re near

Wipe my tears

Falling down my face

You hug me

Filling my body

With your joyful embrace

I touch your body

Not feeling sorry

You hold on to me

Never wanting me to let go

Cause there’s still more

To this show

Ya Know?

Baby Love

I’ll send out white doves

Shove me against a wall

Even though you aren’t that tall

Climb up on me

Kiss me deeply

Touch my body

Carefully

I’m sensitive

End my night

Start my day

I’ll be your knight

I promise I’ll stay.

Eric Danladi Garner Jr.

Read Poetry: Hope and Fear, by Jean DeMello

Hope a lovely lass
Fear, a skeptic lad
Met each other on a fateful evening
Hope, so pretty
Her smiled bloomed like
A hibiscus
Fear, tormented face yet
Amazing like the sky
On a new moon night
It was love at first sight
For hope, it just felt right
As if she knew him since forever
Fear wanted her
For he wanted a taste of
Her smile
Even if for a while
Hope sneaked a peak
Fear stared her in the eye
The karmic attraction they couldn’t deny

Hope was naive
Fear was cruel
Yet this was something he
Couldn’t resist
As he kissed her smile that night
Moved his fingers on her lips
Hope, had never before felt
The intensity of heat
It felt like fire and ice both
Made Home on her lips
She smile moved to his
He felt roses and everything mellow
Agitated, he went in with all he had
Hope matched him in contradiction

Fear ran his nails
Through her spine
Tracing it one by one
Leaving an impression
Hope ran her hands through
His heart
It leaped, and she laughed
She cupped his face
She felt his anguish
Hope was bound to soothe him
But he was fear,
Hope was in love
And fear was just being himself

Rains lashed and raindrops
Slashed against the window
As if to caution,
But hope and fear
Were lit on fire
The skies wept and
The evil rejoiced
As fear made his way
Into hope
Her first love was enthralling
She let out a gasp
Every inch he conquered
Less of her she felt
Arched her back
She let him in
But that’s what they say
Don’t they,
What you love,
Is the one thing that
Takes your soul away

Fear had never seen
Something more divine
Than hope
He wanted more of her
His eyes turned red
It was love and lust
She had a power
He wanted a taste
She was his reflection
All that he was supposed to be
But wasn’t
He ventured deep,
All the way in
Held her by the curls
“Give in to me”, he screamed
She faintly smiled
He threw her away
Pulled her back in
Fear found love in her face
But that’s what they do,
Don’t they
Destroy the one they love

With every minute of the night,
Fear grew stronger
And Hope diminished
After this ghastly encounter
They created the outcome
And no one knows what happened
To either of them
Some legends say, hope survived
And outcome was named Yang
Others disagree,
Say hope didn’t make it through
The horrific night
Fear named outcome Yin
And raised her up himself
Wise men say, both hope and fear
Lived a full life,
Gave twins to this world
Yin and Yang
Yin was more like Hope
But, took after her Father
While Yang resembled Fear
He was raised right by his mother

Once in a while
Fear and hope haunt people’s mind
And outcome makes an appearance
Sometimes Yin,
Other time Yang
And both exist in silence
Balancing each other
Depending on the legend you
Believe in

Read Poetry: FIRE, by Ruth Clark

Too far away
To feel this close
I sent my heart out on a wire

Reeling it in
I swear never again
Then I remember the fire

To feel the burn
I have to learn
To keep my heart in a box up high

To have the spark
I’ll add a postmark
And send it away
Goodbye, goodbye

The fire burned the straws
We were grasping
The heat enveloped us
And left me gasping
For the life you breathed into me

Now I sit in the ashes
But I’ll rise higher
We’ll never have forever
But we’ll always have
The fire

By RuthieB

http://www.ruthiefromtheblock.wordpress.com

Read Poetry: FELL IN LOVE WITH YOU by KATHY SCOTT

THE FIRST TIME I REALLY FELL IN LOVE WITH YOU
I KNEW YOU’D MAKE ME HAPPY
MAKE ME SMILE
BUT I DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO EXPRESS MY FEELINGS
TO YOU WAS SCARED TO LET YOU KNOW

DIDN’T KNOW HOW YOU FELT ABOUT ME
WAS AFRAID THAT YOU WOULDN’T ACCEPT
ME AS I AM

DIDN’T WANT ANOTHER HEARTBREAK
IN MY LIFE
WANTED TO JUST GIVE UP

THE FIRST TIME YOU SAID YOU LOVED ME
THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I FELL IN LOVE
WITH YOU

THE FIRST TIME I REALLY EXPRESSED
TO YOU THAT I LOVED YOU TOO
WAS THE FIRST TIME I COULD FEEL LIKE MYSELF
AND I HAD FORGOTTEN HOW THAT FELT

NOW WITH YOU I CAN FEEL FREE AGAIN
TO EXPRESS MY TRUE FEELINGS TO YOU
I THANK YOU FOR THAT AND TRULY LOVE YOU
NOW AND FOREVER

Read Poetry: COLD SONGS, by Olabisi Akinwale

It’s the secret of life
To die, with blood flowing in your veins
.
We lost a sister to the songs in her throat
We knew she would not survive the whips
From nights when the moon burns her pride to ashes
And days when the sun mocks the radiance in her eyes
.
On many faces are birds with broken nest
Flying to the ends of the earth- where death is the only hope of
bodies, running from their own body
.
Somewhere in this verse
Is a boy burning with cold fire into strange tongues
His father was the man you met on your way home- walking on his head
The man you saw numbering his days, with sad numerals
The man who said God exist only in fictions, forklores, and in non
existing worlds
.
Life is a sorcerer, her languages are too complex to be spoken by
women, yet to die with their seeds growing in them
.
This song are the dirges
– in the mouths of boys who murdered themselves and ran away
– girls, in the confluence where blood and history met
– in the tales of a father with ten sons, having none
– mothers, seeking the life in a world different from theirs
.
There’s a voice calling you home in poems like this
Skate on their surfaces- it’s god’s art in dark places
.
© Olabisi Abiodun Akinwale
Undiluted Poet
#UndilutedPoetry