trampoline birthday
stressful yesterday now lost
to bounces of joy
Jump Here
trampoline birthday
stressful yesterday now lost
to bounces of joy
poetry
Parental Apparitions
one cannot know
if this parenting mistake
will haunt her till death
will we be haunted
thoughts of all we could have done
between joy, anger?
her eyes still singe tears
as she kisses me goodnight
but who’s forgiven?
that’s the ache of it
the dark side of parent love
no one talks about
instead, we talk on
conversations, awkward lies
their shouting echoed
how could she be twelve
i see her carry the weight
of all her sisters
on her tiny frame
our guilt mirrored back to us
weight of heaven… hell
Reconciliation
in my mother’s voice
i numerically show them
what failure looks like
smart enough, they listen
though it’s Friday the thirteenth
i’ve earned myself luck
fast fingers to keys
i forgive immature acts
when i see success
Baton Rouge
sixty-four years back
students went on strike for this
and now we lose it
how shocking to see
a city dividing now
united in hate
segregation rules
what MLK lost with shots
fired for nothing
Pilot
a twelve-year journey
to our perfect family car
three rows of happy
Teacher Mother Prayer
headstand of success
to top a sunny work week
filled with teenage grins
plan for our future
money’s tight, love is tighter
let’s let loose the strings
all of my children
wrapped in a challenging pose
namaste, my soul
Climate Change
winter thaw takes us
on a short sleeved city walk
but God, save this earth
Signatures
twenty signed pages
girls’ college wrapped up in hope
refinance our dreams
Interaction
list to last the week
highest group gets me the gold
held accountable
all papers graded
impossible standards met
you can’t challenge me
i will surpass you
snarky remarks tucked within
so you can’t see me
’cause i’m a winner
downtrodden made me stronger
in the end, you’ll see
Shakespeare’s sonnets sing
across these four centuries
hear them sing along
alas, their voices
really bring us together
let us listen. Well.
Temporary Temptation
to witness firsthand
how beauty manipulates
turns day into night
to accept my fate
i must turn the other cheek
and kill with kindness
i’ll never woo them
with the same sneaky tactics
beauty’s lost to me
her heart will turn black
before her scent leaves their back
only then they’ll know
beauty’s lease is short
but sorrow lasts forever
in a broken heart
