Haiku

By Lita King

Thump tha-thump…palpitations…
I gasp for breath.
The rhythm of the bongo.

Raindrops…warm, flowing
I walk slowly in them. “I can’t!”
They are my tears.

Winter

By Waltarsha Jackson

You look into sky and mostly all the birds are flying south
You can feel the shakes and shivers like we in the North Pole
Basically ever car headlights are covered with icicles
Many of streets are so slippery
The trees are covered with patterns of white flakes
Children are riding the hills on sleighs and creating
A new frosty
The fireplace keeps sparkling firewood as it blazes arise
Thicker clothes are needed before we go outside –
The excitement of the different color light that shine
in the window or on a tree
The beauty of the cold midnight sky
The twinkle of the frosty stars higher above the earth
The strong sound of the wind twirling and spinning rapidly
The education of what below zero means
The reality of what warmth truly means
All these things occur in the wintertime

Legacies

By Felicia Lea

Both of my grandmothers are legacies because they both raised me and my
siblings. They taught me how to do everything, as well as my mom,
so I guess I see three people as my legacies. I believe everybody
has a legacy whether they are famous or just ordinary people. One
of my grandmothers has passed on, God rest her soul, but her legacy
lives on through her family and that is my mother’s mother, Willie Ruth
Echols. I miss her smile, her touch, her voice, everything.
She was one of the best women in my family beside my other grandmother,
Sevella Mae Lea, who is still living. God has blessed her with
longevity in life. I have been blessed to have her around
still. I also still have my mom, Earnestine Thomas. She is
my support system when I am down. God bless her. Also I am
glad to have been around to share the time and space with them. I
just want to say thank you.

Dream

By ShaRon Jones

I dream that I’m not here.
I dream that all the pain could go away
Also has dreams have never come true
As I sit here dreaming it seem
Like the pain is slowly going away
for yet space for something else to
dream about.
If I could dream about the past,
I’d be a sad person
If I could see the “future” then maybe
all my dreams would be over
If I dream about tomorrow then
what would really happen
But as far as I know dreaming is
for believers & seekers
But for me I just want this dream
to be pain free.

Why Is Sorrow My Best Friend

By Kristen Jefferson

Why is sorrow my best friend
Every time I look up it’s back again
Why is sorrow my best friend
I blame myself that our relationship ever began
Throwing pity parties for your self is never right
Because trying to look ahead your days won’t be bright
You look forward to sulking, being moody and downright down
What’s the point of walking around with a continuous frown
Why did I ever let sorrow attach itself to me
Because I wanted to be blinded and not properly see
But I’m distancing myself now and trying hard to be strong
And yes I know that this is the way I should’ve been all along
Sunshine is ready to beam down on me
It’s time for me to go ahead and just let it be
Why was sorrow ever my best friend
I can’t really answer that but I’m glad our relationship is about to end

Maturity

by Faheemah Aneesah Askia

Many many years ago
I was shown the way to go
But I just laughed and walked
away. As the time went by, I
discovered that I was wrong.
I could not face another day.

Thank God for maturity.
It enables us to know when
we’re facing the wrong way.
And to hold our sign saying the
right way. Yield!

The View

By Melissa Benson

From where I sit, what I see is
the world pass me by. The hungry child cry for
more…please may I have some, please.
The single mother sigh…why God why?
Do I have to fight this all alone?
A lost soul trying to find their way home.
In this cold world with no house of my own…
When the sun rises to the east and I
rise to my feet and look at the walls
surrounding me I can’t breathe…
Is this all a dream
or maybe a nightmare. I want to
wake up now but don’t know how.

From where I sit, what I see is the
future in front of me the past
behind and the present a gift
untold.

The Next Four Years: Nov. 5, 2008

By Anavia Davidson

What I believe will happen now that Barack Obama is president is that
the U.S. will make a big turnaround. Those that thought they
wasn't going to make it in life thinks, and some knows, that they can
make it now. The economy is going to be back on track over a
period of time, health insurance won't break us as much, the single
parents that doesn't abuse the system is going to get better
assistance, those that want to further their education can go as far as
they want to go. The guns is going to vanish. Basically to
me now that Obama is president, those that really want to be stable in
all aspects of their life, they can, because 11-4-08 we saw change
being made and if Obama can work hard so can we. The harder you
strive and work hard, live right, stay stress-free, eat right, treat
people in a humble manner, and most of all pray, everything is going to
be just fine.

Alone in My Space

By Mark Jones

I'm having a pity party alone in my space
Tears wet my face
Rick is gone off the line
His heart popped
His body stopped
I feel like I've been dropped
Just yesterday I gave him a dollar
I still owe him five
We were friends who started out
Fighting each other
How can you love someone
You didn't like
Truth is hungry men find ways
To feed themselves
You can't fight and feed yourself
You can do anything if you have help
Rick and I made money together
Passed money between each other
Worked well together
Now I have to go on without him
Carry him inside me
Make him proud of me
One day I will be with him
Today is not my turn
Tears wet my face
Rick is gone
I'm having a pity party alone in my space