A Peach Tree in the Projects: A Work in Poetry, a Work in Pictures, a Work in Life, My Work, My Signature

By Geneva K. Olowoeshin

The life of author Geneva K. Olowoeshin began during the time when civil rights were still new, and African Americans were still referred to as Negroes and colored. In A Peach Tree in the Projects, Olowoeshin examines her life and emotions from the angle of one of the last in the baby boomer era She explains how she coped with being adopted and growing up with parents old enough to be her grandparents, but with the stamina and wit to not only keep up, but leave lifelong lessons necessary in todays unpredictable society.

Through poetry dating back to the early 1980s, Olowoeshin shows how words have always been relevant in taming her deepest pains of loves lost, her brothers plight, and the struggles with a severe identity crisis. The included pictures give real color to her story, vividly illustrating what is being told in the essays and the poetry.

This compilation shares how writing this life story began as a therapeutic outlet for a tumultuous path. It helped her understand that not knowing who you are and where you come from can have a powerful effect. Gaining strength from not knowing, however, makes for a beautiful picture.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Nov 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781491799192

Geneva K. Olowoeshin

Geneva K. Olowoeshin is a native Georgian, born and raised in the heart of the city of Atlanta. She was adopted and raised in a home with three other adopted siblings. Olowoeshin lives in the Florida Panhandle where her parents retired. She has four grown sons and two granddaughters.

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 Geneva K. Olowoeshin.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

iUniverse

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.iuniverse.com

1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4917-9917-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-9918-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-9919-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016909242

iUniverse rev. date: 01/24/2017

Contents

Book Description

Author’s Biography

Chapter 1 Origin

Poems

Me with analysis

Origin with analysis

Who Am I

Where Am I

Sometime After 1850

Brothers

Chapter 2 A Peace Tree in the Projects

Poems

A Peachtree in the Projects with analysis

Learning 1

Poetic Pathways

Sharing

groWing

GroWing with analysis

A Tree

Chapter 3 If Love is Wrong…What’s right?

Poems

The First Poem I Wrote to My Mother

Learning 2

Sheltered

A Friend

Chapter 4 Frederick Douglass High School 1982 There’s Something Different About Us

Poems

And Now, Introducing…

Dreaming

Thanks

Suffer No More with analysis

My Buddy with analysis

Chapter 5 North and South…And Now the Two Shall Love

Poems

Where

I’m Not Mad

Georgia in Saint Paul

Years Later in Florida

Sometime After 1915

Conversation

Untitled with analysis

Chapter 6 The Importance of Color

Poems

Black and White

Superstitions

How Do We Forgive

My Neighborhood Nightmare

Sometime after Yesterday

Ode to Africa

Chapter 7 Writing is Easy, Everything Else is Hard

A Story Locked Down

The Poet

I Was There

Tell Me

A Woman’s Needs

Music, Sun, and Kids

My Tribute

Tell Me (Remix)

Book Description

My book A Peach tree in the Projects, is a book that has taken the very best I have of myself, and brought to life the poetry that exists in and all around me. Sometimes I’ve felt I’ve been writing it all my life.

My poetry reflects so much of what I grew up taking in. There were so many concerns during the post-civil rights era in the South. The Watergate situation bothered my sense nobility and, most of all, there was always the complicated emotions of not knowing who my natural parents were. I combined my complicated issues growing up with my present lifelong lessons and experiences.

I hope the reader can understand my rhythm.

When I began writing poetry, I had no intentions of one-day completing a book so the whole idea is a pleasant surprise to me. I found myself, while on this long journey, laughing, crying, praying, and many times, just feeling the relief wash through me with the healing power of words.

The more I grow toward the full circle of self-love and appreciation of life, I hope that this book will help others as we struggle with life, to just find your smile, and keep hoping for the best.

Geneva K. Olowoeshin

Author’s Biography

Geneva Kate Boozer (Olowoeshin) was born, May 1964 in Atlanta GA. Although unsure of her original name at birth, she is confident that she was adopted from somewhere in Georgia at the age of 16 months. Her adopted Mom named her for her new Grandmothers, one who was very proud to be an integral sculpture to help mold in her the strength and love from her name (Kate). The other Grandmother for whom she would proudly carry her name was a complete opposite. She quickly changed her name to Genevieve.

She was raised in the heart of Atlanta with 3 other adopted siblings. She attended Collier Heights Elementary School and Frederick Douglass High School, and briefly attended The Atlanta Metropolitan Junior College in the late 1980s, only to be compelled to leave to explore new life experiences.

She began her writing career very early in life as required by true educators, and very demanding teachers and later, distinguished college professors.

The summer of 1988 proved to be a crucial time in Atlanta. As the city became scorched by the drug epidemic, Geneva and other city leaders worked together to create and organize the Kids Against Drugs parade and rally where city leaders could see the sad eyes of mostly young African American boys who just wanted to know how to shake their single Mothers out of the haze of ‘crack-cocaine’ addiction.

She soon moved with her family to Minnesota, Ohio, and now resides in Florida.

Geneva is the proud Mother of 4 young Men, and now 4 Grandchildren.

Geneva K. Olowoeshin

For my Family, everywhere

The Finale

Reflections of Today, Tomorrow, and Yesterday

POEMS;

Reflection

Mama Went to Sleep

This Friendship

Sunrise

Love and Life…Life and Love

Vision

This Morning

The Finalist

002.jpg

Me

I’m the one born, whom they chose to forget

I’m the one thrown away, or left on a doorstep

I’m the one to whom you said, Hold your head high

I’m the one waving to speak when going by

I’m the one someone gave up on, she didn’t understand

I’m the one, the ‘X’ chromosome, from my daddy, a man

I’m the one, the baby, so alone and out of place

I’m the one, looking for kinship in every ones’ face

I’m the one, the Southern Bell, the Georgia, the Peach

I’m the one, and this is my life sometimes bitter, sometimes

Sweet

003.jpg

G.O 1998

Me

(Analyzed)

I was inspired to write the poem Me after I had just walked around the artsy Santa Clara area in Dayton, OH which is about a block away from my residence.

It is an area that reminds me slightly of a place in Atlanta, a smaller mid-town perhaps Santa Clara, though, had something I found extraordinary. The art gallery.

This art gallery though, felt to have an exclusive air to it. It felt well respected with its pleasant scent of a type of canvas that was about to become a masterpiece. I liked this center piece in the art district in Dayton.

This art gallery also bears my grandmother’s maiden name.

Of course when I first moved to this area, I went there, to the gallery, with lots of self- appointed privileged questions for the owner.

Although he was white and I’m only the adopted part of the name that ties me to the family, I searched his demeanor and mannerisms to find my father’s and grandma’s heritage within this meek and mild man.

I felt as though I had every right to announce to him and his burly son the fact that their name was a name that I had grown up with, and the stories I heard weren’t always good. They both went out of their way to deny our possible kinship. They had no problems, however, when it came down to giving me a short history lesson about their heritage, proud, southern and as I listened I was so amazed at how so steeply intertwined our families were, right off the slave ship on the Carolina gateway. This only proved to me how much people wish to forget the atrocities of the ones who preceded them, as they didn’t mention whether or not their family owned slaves.

Early one sunny afternoon, I went to the art gallery. I wanted to know if the picture that I had taken with my aunt’s camera could be something that could be transformed into art. It was at an honors dinner for my son when I had taken the photo, and poetry explained it.

The owner came out to help me and for some reason, his gentle eyes were a comfort to me. I often get nervous when trying to explain my ideas. His eyes, though, seemed to say to me, I understand you. I was able to explain my ideas with no problem. I know that