Calling It as I've Seen It

By Evelyn Marshall

Calling It As I See It is a book of poetry portraying Black life, in general, as I have seen it throughout my life. Each short story in rhyme is written from the heart. I think some will touch you personally and others will remind you of the trail and tribulations of others.
I am thankful to God for the gift of rhyme.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 31, 2014
• ISBN: 9781499076981

Book preview

Abandoned Buildings

Look at the houses around the city that are unoccupied

I bet there are a lot of stories the walls could tell or secrets hide

These buildings once had meaning to someone dear

What happened? Now, why is there no on here?

Now they sit there with grass and bushes all around

Many are found in the county, suburbs and even some in town

It is sad when an owner passes away

One who took exceptional care of their home from day today

And now they look unkept, dingy, faded and thrown away

It bothers me to see these places

They can’t be sold in many cases

Because of heir-property or the like selling it will make family members fight

There is a big hospital standing there all alone

Used to be filled with the sick and others with uniforms on

Now it just sits there just wasting away

Corroding, collecting dust and debris from day to day

How can they just leave these buildings there?

It’s a waste of money and people don’t seem to care

They build another in its place

Leaving this building and others like it, to go to waste.

Florida Memorial College became dilapidated and eventually fell

There was a for sale sign, well at least someone tried to sell

Now an old Black landmark is long gone

Classmates now pass it by and silently moan

A gas stations is closed and boarded up again

Will it ever reopen? And if so, when?

Then you see another being built just across the street

Should have bought and remodel the other one and made it more complete

It seems that this is all a waste

And being wasteful is in poor taste

Then you hear there is less money around

But many are steady building homes and businesses from the gourd

When there are many old buildings to be remodeled that should be found

It has to be cheaper to use what we already have here

Make valuable use of resources already around and near

If we don’t do this our economy will suffer, doesn’t it appear?

The thought frightens me and sometimes brings, to my eyes, a tear

Ames, The Garden and other businesses have been closed down

Eventually, if they aren’t used, will decay and fall to the ground

Look at all the materials and substances that were used

Think of the men that labored, were injured and bruised

When the buildings were complete, they looked at them with pride

And now these businesses sit there closed and unoccupied

We teach students to reduce, recycle and reuse

This rule isn’t used by adults and in this case abused

It just seems like such a waste

And to our community many are eyesore or a disgrace

This poem was written because this is happening all around

There are several buildings being built up from the ground

While many sit, taking up space, closed and unoccupied

Just give this poem some thought as you take a walk or go for a ride

Are We Living The Dream?

Martin Luther King had a dream, but are we living that dream?

There are some negative answers as well as positive it seems

It seems as if our Blackness is diminishing or has been lost

And our young brothers and sisters are the ones paying the cost

Children of today will never experience the care and concern of the Black teachers of yesterday

A time when teachers looked after their own, gave a sense of pride and produced great scholers, I’m proud to say

But where are the future role models and historians of today

Many talented brothers & sisters are on drugs, standing on corners or in a jail locked away

So what has happened to the dream, a dream a man risked his life for and died

If he were here to see what is happening to his race, he would wonder what happened to Black pride

Blacks of long ago had faith and they trusted, leaned and depended on our God

They worshipped Him in truth and love and didn’t spare the rod

To make a life much better, so much better for each of us

And yet many of the Black leaders of today we can’t believe in or trust

We became educated and given an opportunity to deliver, we often scandalized each other all the more

There are those who are expecting any and all of us to fail

Waiting for us to slip or fall and be taken away to jail

The kids of today use athletes, rappers and move stars as role models to look up to

And the majority of them end up arrested for the wrong deeds that they do

Youngsters today observe the drug dealers in nice expensive shinny cars

With gold on their fingers and necks, smoking cigarettes or cigars

Wallets full of money that the