A Legacy in Poems: Bridging the Gap

By Claude L. Dallas Jr.

Title:

INITIATING A LEGACY OF POEMS WAS DESIGNED TO:

Provide a written record of my life- transforming decisions and experiences for my descendants. It is something that I wished had been available for me to assist in my positive self-development as a young man.
Record the lessons on life learned from my father and his father to be passed down to future generations.
To serve as a guide and template for others who desires to reflect upon their relationships and experiences.
Encourage other men in refining and expanding their sense of purpose and destiny.
Serve as an example to many of my cultural and spiritual brothers of the importance of recording a written legacy.

Legacy Journal of Personal Transformation is an open-ended work of poems and other literature that will be used in the context of speaking with my offspring and their progeny to fill in the dash between the date on which I was born and the date on which I physically depart this dear earth. It is my intention to continue to record my personal lifes journey, the significant events in my life and the decisions that resulted.

May my vulnerability expressed in these writings assist my heirs and others in becoming more aware of the presence, plans, power and purpose of God. May they treasure the blessings of many past generations who have prayed for them and labored knowing that they would never see this day.

1. Proverbs 13:22
A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children, but a sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 17, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477143698

Claude L. Dallas Jr.

Claude L. Dallas, Jr. is an Adjunct Professor at National College of Cincinnati, Ohio. He has an earned bachelors of science degree in zoology from The Ohio State University, a master’s of science degree in cellular biology from the University of Cincinnati, and a master’s of arts degree in religion from Liberty University. He is currently working towards an doctorate In curriculum education at Liberty University. Claude has been employed by corporations such as Pfizer, Inc., 3 M Co., and Walgreens, Inc., Christian organizations and churches such as the U.S. Division of World Vision, Liberty University, Great Commission Bible Church and Israel Baptist Church. He contributed a chapter in a book published by Zondervan in 1996 entitled “Men to Men: Perspectives of Sixteen African American Men” (edited by Lee N. June, Ph.D. And Matthew Parker). Claude has been married to Sheilah Ferebee Dallas of Washington, D.C. for 43 years. They are the parents of four adult children and nine grandchildren.. He has traveled on mission’s trips to Addis Abba, Ethiopia, Nairobi, Kenya, Port-of-Prince, Haiti, Mexico City, Jamaica, etc.

Book preview

A LEGACY IN

Poems

BRIDGING THE GAP

Claude L. Dallas, Jr.

Copyright © 2012 by Claude L. Dallas, Jr.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2012912826

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4771-4368-1

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4771-4367-4

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4771-4369-8

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Contents

CHAPTER ONE      Parents

MY PARENTS

BROWNIE

OUT OF SIGHT BUT NOT INVISIBLE

Mother Until The End

God Will Not Be Any Better To Me Than He Will Be To You

HONEY OF A MAN

BREATHING THE SAME AIR

Lessons From My Father

She’s Asking About You Daddy

Parents In-Laws The Ferebees

FATHER-IN-LAW, Robert Frost Ferebee

MY MOTHER-IN-LAW Doris A. French Ferebee

CHAPTER TWO      Marriage Is Good… My Wife

She Walks As My Queen

Sheilah, I Love You Because…

If We Had Not Had Children

YOU ARE QUITE A WOMAN

Dreams Do Come True

IF I COULD CHOOSE FROM ALL THE WOMEN OF THE WORLD

CHAPTER THREE      Children

Our First Born, A Young Woman of Many Talents

RENAY DOREEN

ROBYN ROCHELLE

Sheila Denise

Claude Lemont, Our Son

CHAPTER FOUR      FAMILY GRANDCHILDREN

I’m Not Your Father, Grandchildren, But I Love You

There is more to Running the Race Than The Start

BLANKEE AND ME INSPIRED BY DAYLAN, A Grandson

SNACKS ARE THE BEST INSPIRED BY DAYLAN

JALIN

ORDAINED TO BE YOU, JEREMEY

Before I Leave

YOU ARE BLESSED

TO BRITTNEYBrittney Antoinette

To ASHLEYAshley Renay

COREY MARQUEZ

CHELSEY KIERRA

I Wish That My Grandchildren Could Experience—

GRANDDAUGHTERS, YOU ARE BLOSSOMS AT THE TOP OF A TREE

Did You See That Drop of Water Today?

IT IS AMAZING TO SEE YOU SERVE

Lines Separated by Time and Space

MY LORD IS OUT OF SIGHT BUT NOT INVISIBLE

Whenever Darkness Falls

You are the Fruit From an Ancient Tree

Be Vigilant My Grandsons

Be Virtuous, My Granddaughters

CHAPTER FIVE      Social and Cultural…

I AM A BRIDGE

TOO BIG AND TOO BLACK TO BE ACCEPTED

ENCOUNTERS FROM HIGH SCHOOL

INTEGRATION

WHAT WERE THEY SAYING?

WAKE UP YOUNG BLACK MEN AND WOMEN

Note to Young Men

YOU CAN CALL ME NAMES

I Won’t Complain

HEATHENS LIVE

WHY SHOULD WE CELEBRATE AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY?

We are a Family Unit, And We Are Happy

OUR FRIENDS

CHAPTER SIX      Reflections on Faith and Love…

THE KING

If Your Tomorrow Begins Without Me

Our Greatest Fear

WHEN WE FIRST WERE DIAMONDS

Sea of Denial

LINGER BY AN OLD OAK TREE

WHY AM I SURPRISED AT HOW GOOD YOU ARE TO ME?

RAINBOWS AND LIGHT

Lord Let Me Be A Part of Your Rainbow for Someone

De Marco We Have Seen Your Light, Your Star

At This Very Moment

HOW STRONG IS YOUR FLAME?

PEOPLE COME INTO OUR LIVES FOR A REASON

FUNNY WHAT PEOPLE NOTICE

I Have Been Given Five Joshuas

My Wife Has Been Given Four Esthers

RAINBOWS FOR YOUR LIFE

Boys in Men’s Bodies

Every Mess is Locking the Door to Abundance in my Life

I Already Love You

YOU CAN CALL ME NAMES

HEATHENS LIVE

DO NOT SPEAK TO ME IN THE RESTROOM

Christmas Means Many Different Things To Different People

CHAPTER SEVEN      Reflections on Autumn of Life…

THE FALL SEASON OF MY LIFE, APPROACHING THE WINTER

If I Could Keep You Just The Way That You Are

IF I KNEW THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW

FINISHING THE RACE

Dandelions Have Their Flowers Too

I Had A Scare Today

STAR

YOUR RADIANT GLOW

THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP

THE YET TO BE NAMED STAR—INVISIBLE YOU

He Knows Your Name

You Were Placed Here With Care

DID I TELL YOU THAT I LOVE YOU?

LIVING THE DREAM

A STAR NAMED BARBARA

A STAR NAMED MRS. MILLS

GRANDCHILD, IF I COULD I WOULD

LIVING THE DREAM AFTER FIFTY YEARS

WILL THEY KNOW HIM BY MY LOVE

LIFE IS VERY FRAGILE (Handle It With Prayer)

NATURE CAN BE HARMFUL

SAME BUT DIFFERENT

I’m Not Your Father, But I Love You

FRIENDS ARE LIKE TOOLS

I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING

CHAPTER EIGHT      Humor…

DIGGING MY GRAVE WITH MY TEETH

The Man in the Mirror

Secret Society at Churches

PATCHES

WHY DO BIRDS PREFER WHITE CARS?

A FISH NAMED ‘TOILET FLUSH’

YES NO TIMESHARE

OUR NEIGHBOR Mrs. Mills

Construction Zone

THE LOOK

THAT LOOK

WHAT IF EVERY TIME WE SINNED WE HAD SEVERE PAIN

Politically Correct Menu Items

Pills, Pills, Pills

Oprah

SECRET SLOW AUTO SOCIETY

Secret Society of Haters

Secret Society of Prayers

My Brain, He…

DO NOT SPEAK TO ME IN THE RESTROOM

I Used To Think That My Name Was Unique

CHAPTER NINE      Legacy of Love POEMS AS SONGS

SPIRITUAL I’M A STAR

JUST WHEN I THOUGHT

SPIRITUAL

In Heaven

FEEL THE BEAT

CHAPTER TEN      Transitional

Before I Leave You

When All Is Said, And It Is Time For Me To Go

When I Am Gone

If Your Tomorrow Begins Without Me

CHAPTER ELEVEN      Bridging the Gap Through Tranformation…

SPIRITUAL From Curosity to Faith

I WAS BLIND BUT THOUGHT THAT I COULD SEE

Gardener’s Gardener

TREE (TREE of LIFE)

Butterflies

The Conversation in the Flower Garden

WRITER’S ADDENDUM      Biography

Worldview

REFERENCES/ NOTES:

Favorite Scripture for Family

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

3 John 1:4 NIV.

Favorite Song

Amazing Grace by John Newton (1725-1807)

Favorite Scripture for Life

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:3, NIV

Favorite African Proverb

I have stood on the shoulders of my ancestors. Slowly I reached for their hands and began to straighten my knees to support myself. (Source Unknown)

RELATED QUOTE TO AFRICAN PROVERB

If I have seen further than others, it is from standing on the shoulders of giants. Isaac Newton.

Favorite Motivational Quotation

What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve

Napoleon Hill (1883-1971)

Related Motivational Quotation:

"Life’s most serious conflicts

can be waged on the battleground of our minds."

Dr. Frederick A. Wright, Pastor, Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church

Group%20Five%20Generation_%23110%20page%2010.jpg

Five Generational Photograph, 2004

Five generations including Irene Dallas. Her four daughters were all great grandmothers in June, 2004. We met to celebrate her 87th birthday. Her father was born in 1867; her grandfather 1810. That would add two other generations.

PREFACE

Family Comments on Their Legacy

Claude’s children have offered comments about their dad and the legacy that they have been given. There are so many things that I admire about my father. He is funny, intelligent, and always thinking of others. The legacy that he has passed down will continue for generations. They have been written in our hearts. Renay D. Mack.

Our dad always had a story to tell on family trips. Our parents provided many tools and insights for us to become responsible adults. Robyn R. Dallas."

Sheila D. Isbell said, I think dad’s legacy includes his generosity to his family and to others, besides the letters, notes and cards of encouragement. He has given us a legacy by his actions.

Claude Lemont III has stated, My dad has given me the morals and self pride that I am using to raise my own son.

These comments are a synopsis of a scrapbook that was prepared in 2006 for the writer’s sixtieth birthday.

(Bridging the Gap;

Standing in the Gap)

The process of writing this collection of poems began in 1976. The thirty six years since the beginning has provided the writer with many thoughts for leaving some type of written legacy for his progeny. He has had a sense of bridging the gap between the generations of his past, those present and those still to come. The preservation of history through oral communications has decreased over the past fifty years in not only the writer’s family, but also in general. Therefore the writer has chosen to write many of the oral lessons which were told to him from his father, grandparents and extended family over the past two hundred years as a matter of record. The dissolution and devastation of the family in general and the African American family in particular has taken it’s toll. The writer challenges other men to rise up to share and reflect upon the lessons from their lives and to stand in the gap for their children and others.

The primary family principle that the writer learned as a child was that every human being has value. The value of the individual is separate and distinct from their profession, material possessions racial background or culture. His family further asserted that every human being was born to make a difference in the lives of family and others. In a chapter of the book Men to Men in 1996 by Zondervan, the writer contributed a chapter entitled "Black Fatherhood He stated that men should study their children and family to best determine how to meet their needs. The poems written in this volume reflect the lessons that the writer has learned during the process of studying his family.

The concepts of ‘standing in the gap’ and ‘bridging the gap’ between the distant past, present, and future have been a matter of reflection and investigation of the writer since childhood. This book details his desire and passion to have principles from his life to last longer than he lives. The maternal great grandfather of the writer was born as a slave in 1810 in Jasper County, GA. Jordan Malone fathered more than twenty children and lived until 1910. The writer has traced the lives of other relatives into the 1700’s.

Dorcas Berry. a great great great grandmother of the writer’s wife, Sheilah Dallas, was born in 1793 in North Carolina. Her death came in 1903. Three centuries touched by one life! Sheilah’s grandmother, Martha Sawyer French, born in 1897, knew her great grandmother. The writer is writing the family history as a separate document. More than two hundred years of history of perseverance are known by the writer from just the past three generations!

Receiving the torch to run into the future was never physically passed, but the writer was given the torch through the words of hope and dreams of parents and their extended family. Each success that the writer achieved was celebrated and encouraged. Like the character played by Tom Hanks in the 1994, Forrest Gump, he was told to run, run, and run in his pursuit of an education. Education was seen as the singularly most significant factor in opening opportunities for minorities.

The writer has been running towards an invisible goal his entire life. The ancestors of both the writer and his wife have passed away. They now constitute a portion of their ‘cloud of witnesses’ as referred to in chapter twelve of the book of Hebrews. As the writer’s body ages, he is beginning to slow his the pace of his race. He now leans forward as he presses towards the mark of his calling. Through his regular dialogue with grandchildren he is now reaching out the baton in his hand. The time for the exchange of the mantra and mandate for thrusting the family into a positive future is underway!

The writer is now shouting to his children, grandchildren and future generations to Run children run! Run until God picks you up and takes you to live with Him in Heaven!

Hebrews 12:1

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us," NKJV.

Each of us has a race that has been established by God. The writer is running this portion of his life with vigor, faith, and hope knowing that there will come a time when this phase of his life will end and a new phase (eternal) will begin.

The writer first visited Memphis, TN this year. The Lorraine Motel Museum was an impressive and moving sight. The writer vividly remembers the life of Dr. King and his words. Dr. King stood in the gap for so many individuals and groups.

"Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do Gods will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the Promised Land." King Jr. Martin Luther

Source: MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., address to sanitation workers, Memphis, Tennessee, April 3, 1968. The New York Times, April 5, 1968, p. 24. Dr. King made this statement the day before his assassination in Memphis.

The writer is now experiencing aspects of history that his parents and grandparents did not. He has stood on the shoulders of his parents with his knees bent. Slowly he learned to stand on his own while releasing their hands. He understands that his children and grandchildren will probably experience aspects of life that will not be available to him. Nevertheless, he has a blessed hope that one day they will see one another again around the throne of God. This volume has been written to provide the writer’s progeny with some of the moral markers to aid in the preservation of the family until such a day arrives.

Cover%20DALL-118098%20Photo%20%23101%20brighter.jpg

Front Cover Collage of Dallas Family Photos

This collage of the Dallas family was produced by the writer. The various photographs are from more than a thirty year period. Five generations of teaching ethical values and standards in these photos. Three generations of Claude’s on the bottom left. The writer is between his son and his father—‘bridging the gap’. Above the three Claude’s is a photo of the writer’s parents’ 60th anniversary photograph with their children the year of the death of Claude, Sr.

%23232%20GCB%20for%20page%2025.jpg

Claude and Sheilah with Renay Mack’s children

at Great Commission Bible Church, 2007.

DEDICATION

To My Wife Sheilah Ferebee Dallas

My queen, wife, and soul mate has provided a foundation of love and support since we first met more than 48 years ago as freshman at The Ohio State University. Many of the dreams that we discussed during our dates have become reality. They continue to blossom and materialize each day. This book represents a dream that began more than thirty six years ago when the first poem was written.

Sheilah walks as my queen (see the poem so named) and she makes me believe that I am her prince. My wife provides me with the freedom and latitude to follow my dreams while also leading our home.

Thank you Sheilah for your unbridled faith, love and strength.

To My Parents, Claude and Irene Malone Dallas

My parents were major influences in my life. My father would have celebrated his 100th birthday on October 16th of this year. My mother would have been 95 as of June 10th. I thank God for placing me into their family. They were wonderful role models. Although I never knew their parents, I learned a great deal about them by observing the lives of my parents.

To My Children and Grandchildren

The book is also dedicated to our four children and nine grandchildren. Each of them are a unique gift from God. The ethical history of our family has been written in this volume as poetry in order that they may learn never to forget the breadth and depth of love across generations that have combined to provide the ideals they have been taught to call ‘family values’. They are then a composite of all of the previous generations of ancestors who placed their hope and trust in Jesus Christ, the Creator of all mankind. To these ambassadors of the future, I thank God for the joy that their lives bring to us each day. To our children: Renay Doreen, Robyn Rochelle, Sheila Denise, and Claude Lemont I say continue to parent well. To our grandchildren Brittney Antoinette, Ashley Renay, Corey Marquez, Chelsey Kierra, Jeremey Lemont, Daylan Lemont, Jalin Christopher, Jacqueline Olivia Nicole, and Christopher Olesha I say seek the wisdom and direction of Jesus Christ in all that you pursue knowing that many generations beyond you are being prayed for even now. You will have an impact on their future in the way in which you live your lives today.

To the Many Men and Women Who Have Contributed to My Worldview

(See this section at the end of this book)

To the Men and Women who Encouraged Me to Write a Book.

My friend William V. Mathews of Columbus often told me that I should write a book. We attended the Ohio State University together. He was intrigued by our marital reconciliation and my corporate experiences.

Dr. Marjorie Benton Hammons, Ph.D. of San Diego has also been very encouraging. She is a cousin who I have recently met during research into family history. Dr. Hammons has published books of poetry. Her father, Horace Benton, wrote a book, Twist of Justice Gripes 1987, Carlton Press, when he was eighty years

old! Although the book is out of print, it provides an excellent look into the plight of African Americans in Jasper County, GA in the early years of the past century.

Dr. Karen Edwards, Ph.D, Adjunct Professor of National College, read a number of poems and encouraged me to publish them. Additionally many friends and family members such as Sonya E. Saunders of Charlotte, NC and Victor H. Moore of Chicago, IL Sharon Taylor of Houston, and Mr.& Mrs. L. Lanell Holston of Fairfield, OH. encouraged me as well.

My four sisters, Maxine, Annette, Jane and Joan have all served as a source of inspiration.

Key Scriptures for Book

Ezekiel 22:30

"I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one." NKJV

Proverbs 13:22

A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous. NKJV.

There are many other men standing in the gap, but their voices are neither sought nor recorded. It is time to step into the spotlight of visibility for our children’s sake—men who choose to perpetuate moral principles and character. It is time for all of us to get more involved! Release your wealth of time, knowledge and emotional and spiritual resources men!

THIS PERSONAL LEGACY IN POEMS WAS DESIGNED TO:

• Record the rich legacy of love that has been inherited by the writer and is is being available to current and future generations.

• To bridge the gap between those who are no longer seen and those yet to be seen; the gap between the writers’ ancestors and his grandchildren and other men and women and God.

• To define the role of a human bridge through the use of the cultural and spiritual analogy. (See the poem ‘Cultural Bridge".)

• Provide a written record of life-transforming decisions and experiences of the writer from his early school experiences during the civil rights era through his adult life. The corporate and educational attainments were great but they did not fulfill his inner needs for peace.

• Serve as a guide to others who may choose to view their own obstacles and challenges through the lens of God’s plans for their lives and as His Word to improve their lives and relationships.

• Assist the writer’s progeny in