Back 2/1: I Invite You into My Serenity: A Collection of Poetry and Prose

By Deborah Chenault Green

At the age of forty-eight, I thought my dreams were over. Depressed, physically ill and emotionally bruised, I had all but given up. I had no hope and felt destined to a life of misery and gloom. Then something happened, I began to hear a voice speak to me. Was I crazy? God doesn't speak to "ordinary" people, does he? Well, he was speaking to me. At first I didn't know what to think, what to do, but then He told me to look back over my life and tell Him what I saw. What I saw was not what I expected; what I saw was evidence of God's goodness throughout my life. That's when I began to thank and praise Him. From that day my life changed drastically, on every level, in every aspect. I began to look at life in a new way, a more positive way. The more positive I began to think, the more positive things started to occur in my life. Those conversations with God led to the writing of this book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Apr 14, 2008
• ISBN: 9780595604326

Deborah Chenault Green

I am a mother of four, grandmother of twelve and daughter of the strongest woman I've ever known (R.I.P Lizzie Mae). I have been through many life struggles, as have we all. I became a writer by divine intervention, after adopting an attitude of gratitude. I don't profess to be a literary scholar; I only proclaim that I am a testimony to turning victimization into victory. I live in Detroit, Michigan, where I was born and raised.

Book preview

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

INTRODUCTION

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

1

EMPTY PAGE

ELOISE, ELOISE

INVISIBLE

12TH STREET (PRE ’67)

RITUAL FAMILIAR

THE SKIES WERE RED

2

K.I.D.S. & S.I.D.S.

GET IN TO FIT IN

I COULD ONLY MUSTER A STARE

LIFE, GOOD, BAD … ME

IS GOD PLAYING TRICKS ON ME

EVERY SHUT EYE AIN’T SLEEP

LOVED ME TO DEATH

RUNAWAY GIRL

BACK 2/1

3

MAN WITH THE PEN

FITTING TRIBUTE TO A KING

AS THE VALLEY DIED

NIGHT UNFORGOTTEN

4

MISPLACED MELODY

WHAT YA’LL WANNA SEE

RELATIVE

NO MORE TEARS

ON THE OTHER SIDE, YOUR DESTINY

HE’S GETTING YOU READY

WERE THE JOURNEY ANY SHORTER

THE DEVIL IS A LIAR

I FEEL LIKE JAZZ

GO AWAY

MS=MY STRENGTH, MY SOURCE, MY SAVIOR

CONSIDERED A CRIMINAL

5

THAT LOVE THANG

AM I READY?

BECAUSE OF YOUR LOVE

SISTAH’S BETRAYAL

A BETTER WAY

IS IT LOVE?

NOTHING LEFT

GARDEN MADE FROM TEARS

IT’S NOT OUR SEASON

DON’T DO IT

ECSTASY AND INTIMACY

TAKE IT TO THE FRIEND

NO MORE

FRESH LOVE

EMBRACED BY AN ANGEL

6

THOUGHT … ORIGIN UNAWARE

DREAM OR PREMONITION

HOW’D THAT ROCK GET IN THAT BOX

IT GETS BETTER

STRONGER THAN YOU THINK

IT MAKES SENSE

POWER INALIENABLE

RELEASE THE ANGER

RENEW

WHEN GOD’S WORK BEGINS

BUT FOR HE

LIFE’S CEASELESS FLOW

THERE IS A SEASON

LIVE TODAY

STUFF

SELF-AWARENESS

WE’RE ALL GOD’S SPIRIT

CREATE

IT AIN’T THAT DEEP

PEOPLE REALIZE

A FLEETING THOUGHT

THEY’RE MISSING THE POINT

GOOD JUST AIN’T GOOD ENOUGH

I AM

FLOWING STREAM

THE KEY

PASS IT ON

LOVE ANSWERS ALL

NO HUNGER TO STAY

7

WHAT’S MISSING

GIVE LOVE FREE

IDLEWILD

GEM’S THAT FIILL DETROIT’S EMPTY SPACES

FITTING TRIBUTE TO A QUEEN

MY HERO

SHE LAY IN WAITING

FOR HUMANITY’S SAKE

SO WE COULD RISE

GREATNESS

BACK 2/1: I INVITE YOU INTO MY SERENITY

To the memory of my father, James Robert Chenault Sr.,

For his strong legacy of musical creativity.

To my brother Don Chenault for teaching us all, Through his death, to live

To my grandson Terion Farr for showing us, in his almost two months of life, that

It doesn’t take a long life to touch many hearts. To Margaret Mattic, my Angel, My Muse.

It is to you I dedicate this book, I love you all

May you rest in peace.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would first like to thank my four beautiful and gifted children for their unwavering love and support. My ten grandchildren for keeping a smile on Grandma’s face and for a love that would cause any grandparent to wither away if forced to live without it. To my grandson Terion (rest in peace) Grandma Love’s you. I’d like to thank my big sister, Nieci, the true poet of the family. She is and always will be my poet laureate. To my brother and best friend George, my inspiration, for showing me what it really means to step out on faith, with the release of his debut CD This One’s for You. To my sisters-in-law, Roz and Jean, for being more like a sister than an in-law. To my brother Don, who though passing in 2001, taught us all to live each day to the fullest. To his widow, Denise, for giv-ing me my first journal after Don passed, which prompted me to start writing down my inner most feelings. To Gloria, an angel the Lord lead me to, I could never thank you enough. To my three closest girlfriends, (BTC, friends for life). To my church family, New Mt. Zion M.B.C., for keeping me grounded and spiritually fed. To all my friends and family too many to name, I love you all, thank you for your constant support and encouragement. To the Volunteers and Staff at the Charles H.Wright Museum, for embracing me. To my fellow actors at the Detroit Repertory Theatre’s Workshop, I love you all. And last but not least, to my Mom, Lizzy Mae, my Queen, my rock, my heart.

INTRODUCTION

On May 18, 1980, as I watched the all day coverage of the eruption of Mt. St. Helen’s, I was overwhelmed by the devastation, the sorrow and fatalities of this catastrophic, natural event. Little did I know, that day would change my life for-ever. Later that night I was awaken with a phone call from one of my family members telling me that my beloved father had died. All I could do was scream as I went numb. My baby brother, Don, found his lifeless body in the archway between the kitchen and the dining room in our childhood home. He was alone. My mom, sister Nieci and brother George had gone to a Concert that my sister and brother were singing in. I was living in Inkster at the time, a suburb of Detroit. My brother, twenty years old, had left and gone to visit his friend a few houses down the street. When Don returned Daddy had already made his transi-tion from this life to the next. While I was in Inkster living in my own personal Hell, Daddy was making his transition into Heaven. After the initial shock of that call, there’s not much else I can remember. Between the illegal street drugs I