Gurl Get Up: Anthology of word poems created to inspire, motivate, and help to better

By Brandon Jackson

"Gurl Get Up" is an anthology of poems created in polarized moments. From the darkest to the happiest, each poem encourages, motivates, and inspires readers to find their own truth. Sometimes finding it is difficult, in those times Brandon Jackson's words will activate your talent. This spark plug for the soul will energize you and leave you confident that no one can tell your own story better than you.

Life is swift; these words were written for those who never had the time to tell the world what they were going through. They will challenge you some days, and support you on others. This collections writhing nature mimic the spontaneity of the life we live.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 1, 1900
• ISBN: 9781098334376

Brandon Jackson

Brandon R. Jackson best known as Best Kept. He burst on the scene at Urban Literation or ULIT., followed by competing in LPS (Last Poet Standing). He coins the name "Poetic Notes" for one of the venues. He has performed on the historic 18th Vine district more times one can count. With ULIT we he helped hold a poetry workshop at one of the group homes for children. He's performed at colleges: Missouri Weatern, Benedictine College also Unicorn theater and one of his proudest moment was performing at the Nelson-Atkins Art Musen. He has started poetry clubs at one elementry and two high schools. Brandon has a son Myles Rhys Jackson.

Book preview

Gurl Get up: Anthology of word poems created to inspire, motivate, and help to better understand life

Written by Brandon Don Jackson

Instagram: Life Of.don

Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

ISBN (Print): 978-1-09833-436-9

ISBN (eBook): 978-1-09833-437-6

Contents

About the Author

Introduction

Pray With Me

March 24th, 2020

March 26th, 2020

Peace In Spirit

Motivation

October 24th, 2018

Nov 2nd, 2018

Nov 4th, 2018

November 25th, 2018

Feb 15th, 2019

July 3rd, 2019

August 7th, 2019

August 14th, 2019

August 25th, 2019

21+

September 5th, 2019

August 27th, 2019

August 28th, 2019

September 1st, 2019

September 2nd, 2019

Sept 5th, 2019

September 9th , 2019

September 23rd, 2019

April 6th ,2020

November 16th, 2018

December 2nd, 2018

December 2nd, 2019

January 11th, 2020

Feb 28th, 2020

Family Home

Spanish version

Happier Than Thou

Recreational Marijuana

January 31st, 2017

What Do You Call It?

Watches

Self-care Be Good?

We All Got Standards

Sounds of Music

You Didn’t Know Him. . .

Nothing Was the Same

Always had Beef

Too little, Too late

Dollar Store Tape

Airbags and Seatbelts

Night is My Dream

Bugz’ Life

Blank TV Screens

Karma is Real

Mouthing Expert

Free Until Seen

Adulting

R.E.S.P.E.C.T

Crayola Profit

Paying to be Treated Poorly

Perspective

April 20th, 2020

April 12th, 2020

Tell Them inspired by poem of Carvius Lessant, Lyrical Faith, Chev

May 4th, 2020

May 4th, 2020

May 30th, 2020

July 3rd, 2020

July 1st, 2020

June 24th, 2020

You Write?

July 1, 2020

July 7th, 2020

July 8th ,2020

July 12, 2020

July 13th, 2020

July 15, 2020

July 15, 2020

July 16, 2020

July 14th,2020

Hey. . .

Collard

July 17th, 2020

Affirmation Ender

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Brandon Jackson is a queer black male who was born and raised in the Bronx borough of New York City. Brandon holds a bachelor of arts in political science from Wells College and a master of arts in public relations from Syracuse University. His educational background along with his own life experiences have afforded him the opportunity to become educated on the societal struggles of the intersectionality of the queer black person. Brandon writes poetry for Queer People of Color (QPOC) to feel empowered when they are feeling exhausted because of the societal oppression they face on daily basis. He wants people to always remember that nobody can stop a mind that’s already made up.

Introduction

The words in this book are for those who need encouragement, creative motivation, and a little bit of inspiration. Never forget that we are all talented. Sometimes we just need the right words to activate our abilities. I chose to write poetry because it allowed me to say things that I would often be afraid to say without the fear of being judged and feeling that my truth would be drowned in other realities. I had to understand that nobody can tell my story better than me; nobody can tell your story better than you—all of our stories are being lost and overshadowed, but I say no more. Life is swift, and I write for those who have died and have lost the opportunity to tell the world what they were going through. I write to challenge people’s way of thinking, or I want them to hear enough truth to snap their fingers. I hope after reading this, you experience one of the two.

As you read through this book you will notice that the longer poems do not have titles but are labeled by dates—that was done by choice. My decision stems from the fact that each poem has a different set of personal emotions attached to the words. The way that I may have felt on one day was not the way that I felt on another day, and it is important that those raw emotions and feelings are conveyed through text without the superfluous and sometimes distracting title. I hope you enjoy!

Pray With Me

To the God I believe in

Please heal the readers if they are hurting

Allow them to feel whole

To find lost love regardless their circumstances

To not be hard on themselves when life gets overwhelming

Depressive

Anxiety induced

Suicidal

Give them strength ‘cause they are trying

Allow them to find the bright side of things the same way I began to see the bright sides to my trauma

Because sometimes the bright side is all we have when the world isn’t the color we imagined

Allow them to love their inner child

Connect with their inner child, and tell that little boy, girl, or them that the hurt is gone

That at whatever age the readers are when reading this book

That they will grow to be the people that they needed when they were young

That they will be able to parent their inner child as best as they can

And will not be hard on themselves if things don’t go as planned

There isn’t one road to get to peace, and sometimes the self-acceptance is better

If they are happy, allow that joy to spread to other people

Allow that happiness to fuel their future goals and the vision boards waiting to be completed

Allow them to manifest everything that you show them

Allow their ancestors to keep whispering the perfect ideas in their ears

I ask that you keep healing them regardless of sexual orientation, gender, race, and ethnicity

because life is hard, and everyone hurts

Allow people to take time to love on someone else—not out of fear of losing but in hopes to find joy

Allow them to dispose of the parts their life that no longer serve them

And please don’t allow them to feel guilty about it

Somethings may appear like lifetime supplies, but are only seasonal opportunities

Allow them to get up everyday

To breathe when breath is needed

To stand when it is time to get back up

To fight when no one else is willing to do so

And be able to see themselves as a person who is whole and healing but not broken

Remind them that they are loved

Please allow the reader to receive all of these things in your name

Thank You

March 24th, 2020 was created after hearing a friend of mine’s life situation. I wanted to use her influence as a black woman to not only tell a story about black love through the female lens, but I also wanted shed light on some of the struggles that some black women face every day—from the trauma of a non-existent father to the childhood trauma of household chores, I wanted these aspects of this character’s story to resonate with you. It was interesting writing about black women from the perspective of a black queer male. Although I tend to have more feminine personality traits, I found it challenging to accurately take my friend’s story and make a connection with my audience. I wanted to make sure that I did her story and the stories of many other black women justice. Black women have often lost their voices due to toxic masculinity overpowering their voices instead of amplifying them—this poem seeks to amplify the voice of the black woman, understanding that my experiences do not compare to the struggles black women face.

March 24th, 2020

This is to the black gurl who is in a rush

Because her life’s significance can often be found in a man

And that the quicker she jumps over the minor hurdles of her success that there will be no worries within her household

Home is where the heart is

Perfection in the black girl

Exotic to whiter complexions

Thick like fish and grits

Onyx colored skin, contorted into satin

And knees of a stallion

Black Gurl

Often hash tagged into black girl magic

But hung into black lives matter

She is life’s experiment

Told throughout that you are this and only that

That a clean house tells you a lot about a woman

Cleaning can often be genetic

That you shouldn’t seem so confused around cleaning supplies because master’s memory is in ingrained in your DNA

Maybe that’s