Beauty, Poetry & Flow: Birthed in Travail

By Shirley Houston

At the age of six I was criminally violated. I wouldnt speak of this horror for decades, but lived it out daily in my demeanor and later through my poems.

This book of poems chronicles my journey from that point. Organizing it was absolutely catharsis. I literally wept as I proofread many of the pieces because they brought back many painful memories. I begin with a piece entitled, Mosaic and end with a piece entitled Promise. They represent my death and ultimate rebirth.

Today I am evolving and redefining myself. With this book I am shaking off the shackles of self-doubt, others perception of who I am and am reclaiming my unique voice. I am capable and worthy of success. Publication of this book declares that.

Poetically, I want to establish myself as a writer committed to the craft, beauty and unique attributes of the genre. I also want to establish myself as an author who is passionate about encouraging others to pursue their dreams.

Marianne Williamsons assertion that, .as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others is my mantra and calling.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Dec 12, 2014
• ISBN: 9781496952042

Shirley Houston

The author was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, but raised primarily in the Bronx, New York. She has six children: five boys and one girl. She also has three granddaughters and one grandson. She says, “Because of them I am patient and strive to live in the moment instead of waiting for the ‘perfect time’ to relax and enjoy life.” In addition to being a licensed minister, she holds a BA in government/public administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in NYC and an MBA in finance from the Long Island University Graduate School of Business in Brooklyn, New York. To shore up her writing skills, she is currently pursuing a post baccalaureate certificate in writing from the University of California Berkeley Extension. Today the author is a poet, writer, spoken-word artist, motivational speaker, and aspiring fifty-plus petite fashion model.

Book preview

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DESCENT

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Plummeting toward oblivion/

in wan, decrescent tones/

like a million blazing meteors/

I descend into my soul/

implode/

discharging polychromatic lights/

that strobe/

intermittently/

illuminating/

the frightened eyes of a six year-old/

alone/

shoulders slumped beneath a load/

of care/

mind riddled with bullet holes/

through which her fragile essence pours/

exposed/

vulnerable/

wounds that fester and run/

defiled by contaminated shrapnel/

collateral damage/

a victim of inner-city warfare/

psyche/

ravaged and torn/

forlorn and sore/

tormented/

tormented/

Plummeting toward oblivion/

in wan, decrescent tones/

like a million blazing meteors/

I dissolved into my soul

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SOMETIMES I FLY

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Sometimes I fly/

like a bird/

whose cage/

disintegrates/

take refuge in the sky/

far above dishonored places/

tear-streaked faces/

disgraceful relations/

egregious abominations/

far above the pain inside/

the shame I’d hide/

the way I did as a child/

when I died/

inside/

the victim of homicide/

committed suicide/

and/

untied my spirit/

set her completely free/

from temporal confines/

freed/

ostensibly/

sought reality outside of me/

apart from the place/

where monsters spilled their seminal acids/

reduced my soul to vapors and ashes/

inurned inside black, ethereal clouds/

a voluminous