On
The Eve of Winter
I don't want to be a winter rose.
It never blooms-
Only buds.
I'd rather die young and innocent
Than open up to Jack Frost.
Never feeling the sun's embrace
Or the heat of its inferno.
Only glimpses of it's magnificence
Behind thick gray clouds.
I prefer to hide behind my protecive sepals-
Holding out
for the promise of Spring
I realize that my life will end
When winter storms chill my stems.
Knocking me off my feet,
Never getting a chance to live-
Only dream.
But I'd much rather die in the womb,
Than from hypothermia or frost bite.
For whoever said it tis better to have loved and lost,
Was blinded by denial or lies.
THEY
They think they know me oh so well
Who I am and what is best for me
They think they know me inside and out
Not realizing what they can't see
They claim that they can interpret
What I feel inside my heart
They slowly look me up and down
And carefully examine every part
They notice my composure
And how I hold my head up high
They assume it signifies self control-
My ability to look anyone in the eye
They see the mischievious look in my eye
And the smile on my lips
They assume it signifies a easy life style,
That my optimism is a gift
They see the spring within my step
And the curve of my hips and spine
They assume it signifies promescuity
That when I lick my lips it's a sign
And so THEY think they know me
And the way I am inside
But no one could ever really know me
Or the secrets that I hide.
THEY'll never know the reason
That I hold my head so high-
The reason why I stay on guard
And always look people in the eye
THEY could never fathom
The trials I've survived
They'll never understand me
Nor the trials I've survived
THEY could never begin to count
All the tears that I have cried
They'll never know my smile
Covers all the pain I feel inside.
The Face
That Launched a Thousand Ships
My teacher said the face that launched a thousand ships
Was Helen of Troy a long time ago
But I know it was my mother's face that launched a thousand ships
And inspired them to go
To see a smile spread across her weary face
I would do almost anything
Ans so through my books I launched ships
Over the oceanns and across seas.
The ships I launched were not made of iron,
My imagination provided the water,
But they were launched nonetheless,
As the result of a loving mother.
I marveled at the ancient ruins in Rome
And the exotic jungles in Africa.
I hid in the attic with Ann Frank in Amsterdam
And explored Antartica.
I journeyed down the Nile with Cleopatra
Before I was the age of nine,
And the Sunday before I turned ten
I saw Jesus turn mere water into wine.
I was led to freedom by Tubman,
And educated by Bethune.
Many Black women inspired me
But for my mother I wanted to hang the moon.
Just to see the sparkle in her eyes
I learned to navigate each and every star.
Her library card introduced me to Jubilee
And we saw the reality of the civil war.
To make a stand, I sat with Rosa Parks
And marched with Dr. Martin Luther King
And because of the works of Maya Angelou
I know WHY the caged bird sings.
She always listened to my every dream,
And encouraged me to travel all around the world
She never let me believe the limitations
Of being black or just a girl.
She taught me to be strong and proud
And to always hold my head up high
She said the real world could be cruel and mean,
But I should never let them see me cry.
And so I traveled far from home,
I know I launched a thousand ships
But it was not for Helen of Troy
I did it to put a smile on my mother's lips.
Malibu
Come go with me across open seas
Where love can dance on angel's wings
And passion's fire burns with a desire
To fulfill the wishes of every crier
A place of life and moonlit nights
Where love is given the gift of sight
A secret paradise secluded from lies
Where a niave heart will never cry
Just get naked and bathe in the sea
And experince the secluded island that is me
Never
That
I've wished upon stars
For love and things like that
But have I ever been happy?
No, never that!
I've been kissed many times
But there was something they lacked
There was lust, but where's the passion?
No, never that!
I've been held many times
And often groped at
But have I ever been caressed?
No, never that!
I've been told "I Love You"
And it just makes me sad.
Have I ever FELT loved?
No, never that!
I've given my heart
Only to have it thrown back,
But have I ever had another's
No, never that!
I've had sex many times
And I just laid on my back
But have I ever made love?
No, never that!
I've heard men whistle
And look at me like a snack,
But have I ever been admired?
No, never that!
I've felt like a trophy,
Being showed off to make people clap-
But have I ever felt respected?
No, never that!
I've recieved many gifts
But I wish I could give them alll back,
Something for nothing?
No, never that!
I've bee forced way too often
And I've been attacked
But have I ever been romanced?
No, never that!
I've given up on true love
Only in my dreams will I find that
But will my heart ever heal?
No, never that!
The
Window of My Soul
From the window of my soul, I watch you watching me.
From the window of my soul, I see what eyes can't see.
From the window of my soul, I can see you'll treat me right.
From the window of my soul, you look like what I want in life
From the window of my soul, you look like the perfect man,
From the window of my soul, I think you could make me trust again
From the window of my soul, I feel your every move
But from the window of my soul, I can't decide on what to do,
From the window of my soul, the world looks cold and harsh,
From the window of my soul, I can't see past the dark,
From the window of my soul, I can feel no pain,
From the window of my soul, I'm sheltered from the rain,
From the window of my soul, I'm guarded from the lies,
From the window of my soul, no one can hear my frequent cries,
From the window of my soul, I can see all I need to see
But from the window of my soul, no one can see to me,
From the window of my soul, I try to trust again
From the window of my soul, I ponder if I can,
From the window of my soul, falling in love looks cold and lonely
From the window of my soul, I can't belive I'd ever be your one and
only,
From the window of my soul, I try to reach out my hand,
From the window of my soul, I can't touch a man,
From the window of my soul, I try to get away
But from the window of my soul, I'm begging you to stay,
The window of my soul, isn't really a window at all
The window of my soul, is where glass replaced brick in a prison wall.
Angels?
In the midst of my pain and agony
I saw some angels watching over me
I watched them dance with gowns of silk
That shimmered like jewels and flowed like milk
I saw their glittering halos and fluttering wings
And I witnessed the sound made only when an angel sings
At a time when my spirit was ready to give in
Maturity subsided and my chilhood steeped in
Suddenly I found the energy to chase my lost dreams
And found a way to release my hidden screams
So please don't make me go back into that world of maturity
My heart needs to know there's an angel watching over me
