Don't Go It Alone

Whoever heard of a great Baker without the help of an oven.
Or the momentous Speech with out the help of a mouth.
Or the Swimmer without water to glide in.
Or the man who doesn't pray.
For only the fool thinks he can do it alone.
For you see, we do nothing a lone.
The writer has his pen.
The Entrepreneur has his customers.
The best Cardiologist uses an EKG machine.
The Pianist would be nothing with out the keys.
The Child his mother.
God has his prophets.
The Greats all had support.
They didn't go it alone. 

The Coffee Mugs

Here are the coffee mugs
We used to sit and sip
Sometime we needed a hug
Most times we laughed at the kids

Then one day they were grown
And our lives had changed
No more time to sit and sip
But our dreams were never tamed

Use your mugs to sit and sip
Enjoy one another
Enjoy your kids
And most of all your new found love

The Tree

Here I am planted
in the mountains
of the white

I have seen more,
more than I wanted.
I have hid a soldier
from a savage.

 I have been
a urinal for a man
A baby was once
tied to my trunk

He cried from sun up
to sun down
He learned not to cry
for the enemy

I have been refuge
to the Mountain Lion
from three barking dogs

I have seen the sun rise
and the sun set on
the smokey mountain
with ashes blowing

I have seen wars and
murders right beside me.
but nothing,
nothing could prepare me
for the sadness to come.

one day a girl walked by
she has a hose in one hand
it drug along the red, red dirt.
Her tears streaming down

she took the hose.
What is she doing?
She tied it around her neck.
I wanted to break.
I tried to break.

Then she jumped off my branch
there she hung,
for a moment....
Then I bent.
There she fell.
Stunned and mad.
Up she got.
Why'd she do such a thing.
I'll never know.
And no one else will.

She brushed off her knees.
She walks by often.
But her friend,
I don't know where she is.
The girl is a lone...
in the world,
in her land,
in school,
and home.
Alone. 

Just go to Bed!

Good night.
I love you.

What are you doing?
Go to bed!

Good night.
I love you.

Is that you again?
Go to bed!

Good night.
I love you.

Are you under the table?
Go to bed!

Good night.
I love you.
Stay in bed.

Okay.

Making Bread (edited)

Making Bread

Flour in the air,
Flour in her hair.
Flour on the door,
Flour on the floor.

What a chore,
Flour is here and there.
She's painting her arms,
Her cheeks powder fair.

No more sweet rosey smiles.
Just sifted flowered,
giggles in the air
with the bleached powder.

Dusty white pats,
on black springy twists.
Baby brown hands,
now lightly white.

Flour everywhere,
time to be...
Clean.
brown with rosey cheeks.

it's tacit...
I love her brown
I love her white
oh, what a chore
I adore.

Added: 12.04.2011

Laurence Dunbar

This is one of my favorite poems from the Harlem Renaissance. He is my favorite author of that time. He read his first poem at age 6. He went to high school with the Wright brothers. He was the school newspaper editor. His first book of poetry, "Oak and Ivy", was recieved well locally and he had to work as a elevator operator to pay the publishing debt. His second book is what brought him national fame.

LITTLE BROWN BABY

Little brown baby wif spa'klin' eyes,
Come to yo' pappy an' set on his knee.
What you been doin', suh--makin' san' pies?
Look at dat bib--You's ez du'ty ez me.
Look at dat mouf--dat's merlasses, I bet;
Come hyeah, Maria, an' wipe off his han's.
Bees gwine to ketch you an' eat you up yit,
Bein' so sticky an' sweet--goodness lan's!

Little brown baby wif spa'klin' eyes
Who's pappy's darlin' an' who's pappy's chile?
Who is it all de day nevah once tries
Fu' to be cross, er once loses dat smile?
Whah did you git dem teef? My, you's a scamp!
Whah did dat dimple come f'om in yo' chin?
Pappy do' know you--I b'lieves you's a tramp;
Mammy, dis hyeah's some ol' straggler got in!

Let's th'ow him outen de do' in de san',
We do' want stragglers a-layin' 'roun' hyeah;
Let's gin him 'way to de big buggah-man;
I know he's hidin' erroun' hyeah right neah.
Buggah-man, buggah-man, come in de do',
Hyeah's a bad boy you kin have fu' to eat.
Mammy an' pappy do' want him no mo',
Swaller him down f'om his haid to his feet!

Dah, now, I t'ought dat you'd hug me up close.
Go back, ol' buggah, you sha'n't have dis boy.
He ain't no tramp, ner no straggler, of co'se;
He's pappy's pa'dner an' playmate an' joy.
Come to you' pallet now--go to you' res';
Wisht you could allus know ease an' cleah skies;
Wisht you could stay jes' a chile on my breas'--
Little brown baby wif spa'klin' eyes!

Mother Madness

Will the guilt ever leave?
I am asked by the girl
They always need you
young and old
guilt is there the story is told

Mother Madness
What is that?
when the world tells you
don't feel anything,
no guilt
no shame
not pain

Mother's
don't feel guilty
don't let the books tell you
your baby needs you
your teeny needs you
you should be home.

But, why, why can't it leave
Because it's not suppose to
that what He says
I gave you that feeling
to know what to do.

Making Bread

Flour in the air,
Flour in her hair.
Flour everywhere,
Flour on the floor.

What a chore,
Flour is everywhere.
She's painting her arms,
Her cheeks fair powder.

No more sweet rosey smiles.
Just sifted flowered,
giggles in the air
with the bleached dew.

Dusty white pats,
on black springy twists.
Baby brown hands,
now lightly white.

Flour everywhere,
time to be...
Clean.
brown with rosey cheeks.
What a chore.
What a chore.

He Flew Away

He flew away,
I gave way.
He waited for her,
on the stair.

Are you my new Mommy?
Few will meet his expectation.
He's at the will
of her persuasion.

I watched him go.
I said good-bye.
No peace. No ease.
Hope floats by.

Time can hurt.
It's not kind.
Yet I find,
I can skurt that prick
cause' I know he'll come

come back to where he knew
he was loved
A gardian Angel never leaves
she waits from sun up till
sun down the following year
and then again the next...

Memorys fade
imprints never leave
when dust is blown
and stirred about
the ohhh's and yeah's come back again.

He'll remember the times
I'll be there to say,
yes, that was you and this is me.
Just like Christ once led you home
I am here, you are there,
come here little one.
It's time.