Poetry, She Wrote Iv: on the Move

By Dee Freeman

Charismatic, motivated, compelling, gifted and Independent best selling poet and author of POETRY, SHE WROTE IV...Dee Freeman does it once again. She is informative, captivating, inspirational and even breathtaking. Her poetry rivals that of other Poetry Goddesses like Giovanni, O’Neal, Sanchez, Walker, and yes...Angelou. A native Arkansan, who loves life, Dee offers her passion on paper. Her poetry is undeniably the most uplifting, down to earth and motivating book of its time. This is among the few works of art to stand the test of time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jul 24, 2019
• ISBN: 9781728320403

Book preview

1.jpg

The Journey’s Not Over

"The grandeur and majesty of God do not come to expression in the

display of ultimate sovereignty and power, but rather in rendering

righteousness and mercy."

Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972).

The Prophets, 11, 1962

The Journey’s Not Over

LIFE, ON THE MOVE!

THE JOURNEY

THESE SAME WATERS

THE ROOF IS FALLIN’

GHETTO STREETS

JUS’ JOKIN’

WINNING IN SPITE OF ALL ODDS

Life, On The Move!

43941.jpg

Create…

Live enthusiastically

Make life’s journey pleasant

Enjoy the freedoms you possess

You deserve to have this wonderful life while

Striving to reach… your desired

Pinnacle of success

Love…

Be free with it

Share love with everyone

Just give it all away

That way, you insure love is destined to

Return to you abundantly, someday

Enjoy…

All the splendor of the world

Bask in the beauty God has place in all things

For seeing the best in even a bad situation

Allows internal beauty to

Outwardly spring

Speak life…

Speak it often

Put your words into action for good

Speak love, happiness, peace and joy

Speak of living your best life, as we all should

Connect…

Lend a helping hand

Reach out often to gently touch and lift someone

Your journey through life can be so rewarding

If you enjoy connecting each phase

Until life’s work is done, and the final bell rung

Expect…

The best, then give your best

Show kindness bursting from deep within your heart

Expecting the best in return

Gives others permission to do their part

Coach…

Share optimism and excitement of life

Show you’re excited to be alive

Approach everything with positivity

For on this, a life of harmony and excellence

Can and will thrive

Laugh…

Smile often, laugh out loud

Each day put on a welcoming, happy face

Make this journey through life pleasurable

Showing gratitude to occupy this space

Celebrate…

Yourself, your family, your community, your world

Celebrate all you do that makes you content

Celebrate your heritage, your life, your reason here

For only you can fulfill your purpose for

Which only you were sent

Just keep moving

Forward your whole life through

Just keep moving

Doing what you must do

Just keep moving

Each day, making a brand new you

Just keep moving

In the direction God wills you to

The Journey

43941.jpg

Pained humiliation beset as we were

Snatched from loved ones.

Torn from our homeland.

Forced onto our first journey.

Becoming sometimes our last journey…the Dreaded Passage

Coffled. Shackled. Beaten. Deemed cargo.

Forced to accept horrid,

Dehumanizing conditions…

Worth measured only by exchange of copper.

The journey saw us tightly packed.

That horrible hole incited uncontrollable rage.

Fury and hatred seeped up from the pits of our hearts.

Salty tears welled in the abominable abyss, then

Rained down from our eyes - to drip and sting our

Bruised, splintered, blistered, withered skin.

This painful pilgrimage towed us over a raging ocean

Where ships tossed and tore our bodies.

Violent waters tormented our viciously violated souls.

Despair, Depression, Disease, Disgust, Death -

Our constant companions across cursed waters,

Which swallowed us by the millions - subtly remain today.

These tarnished waters hold our ancestors’ souls; whom

Each joins hands with those who died before.

Muffled cries from the ocean floor

Call to us…

Speaking, screaming their anguish.

Sharing with us-

Their eternal love, strength, passion and determination.

These ancestors tell us…

We, with the aide of Divine Providence, will survive.

These voices whisper words of encouragement.

Their past cleared the way for our future.

Their sacrifice of yesterday paid forward

Our advancement of today…

Their dying enabled our rebirth.

We continue this journey of our painful past… No longer

Over the oceans, but over the highways of this world;

Over the byways of the minds of people.

We continue the journey of resolve to reclaim our dignity,

Regain our rightful place in a world of continuous movement.

We continue the journey until our ancestors feel

Proud of our accomplishment and resolution.

We continue this journey…

Until we are no longer considered lesser than.

For we must continue, never to turn back.

We’ll emerge from the hole

Undaunted, stronger, more determined to move forward,

With celebration in our hearts, our heads and our hands.

We continue this long journey, for it ain’t over yet!

We continue this bitter journey, as we take one step at a time.

We continue this sometimes unfair journey,..

So we keep on stepping;

We keep on pushing; as we keep on moving;

Sustaining and conquering any further journey this life

Or even the next has to offer!

These Same Waters

43941.jpg

Wash my body, which washed the bodies of my ancestors; washing away

weeks and months of defecation, disease and misery; washing away hope

These same waters…

Rise to cover my ankles, which covered chained ankles of my people; holding

tight to each other as they sank out of existence; covering and smothering a people

These same waters…

Splash my body, which splashed, lashed and swallowed up a people; wanting

only to return to their beloved homeland

These same waters…

Wash my feet, that washed the faces, the fears and tears of the slaves tossed

overboard; making a lighter cargo weight; keeping only auction block bodies

These same waters…

Drench my body, which soaked, drenched and drowned the bodies that leaped from

the ships; dying to escape agony, hatred and a life of torment

These same waters…

Soothe and massage my body, which tossed and mangled the bodies in the hole;

stinging and biting the chained, splintered, sometimes broken, many times beaten

extremities

These same waters…

Lift and gently carry me; which carried my people from their homeland; bringing

them to this distant shore over raging waters; to be misused and abused to no end

These same waters…

Give me life, that snuffed the life of my ancestors – Kings, Queens, Princes,

Princesses, Pawns and Paupers; as numerous as the sands ashore

These same waters…

Caress and calm my body, which agitated, engulfed and muffled the wails of a people;

Now, wishing only to end the torture, the misery and this treacherous journey…

Over These Same Waters!

The Roof is Fallin’

43941.jpg

can’t no longer keep it quiet; wanna tell it, open up loud, shout it like a riot

you brothers gotta wake up; you mothers gotta take up

the responsibility for what’s going down…the roof is fallin in; the walls’ cavin in,

windows blasting out-what’s happenin to us, just makes me wanta holla n shout

brothers, you turnin yo back on yo’selves, can’t be trusted, I’m looking at’cha;

getting more and more disgusted

mamas, you turnin yo back and not nurturing yo up and comin

without you, the races will lose it, just be bumming and slumming

your babies being constantly neglected…

you doing the do and being totally disrespected

people, all my good peeps–-we all gotta put an end to the dope dealing

must end the lootin- gotta stop the stealin

gotta cease the horrid gansta killin…gotta cease the blood from spillin

gotta stop losing yo sons to the man…michael brown, trayvon martin!

gotta stop all these one night stands, put an end to giving up your last-

gettin yo nails done, no longer wastin’ yo womanhood just to get some funky fun

gotta stop playin’, gotta get serious about this game

remember yo kindred of old and their sufferin and pain

remember the trips, remember the slave ships

remember the slavery, remember their innate bravery

they paid a hefty price to give us a chance for survival and dignity

many died before submitting; retaining pride; shunnin any pity

look, the dwelling is tumblin; look, yo future is crumblin

wake up-the future needs you in order to survive

stand up-the past done already gave their due—their lives

we all need to stand tall to hold up the saggin roof

we have fortitude-our hearty ancestors provided that truth

with renewed vigor, lets get busy with our cause

we don’t have to be lost, we can handle this y’all!

hand clasping hand, we can hold up these walls

heart loving heart, hatred can only starve and fall

let’s get it together, gather strength from within, we can do this, y’all;

we gotta come together people, to hold up this fallin’ roof

yeah, we’re here-together, we’re who we’ve been waiting for

we can hold up this saggin’ roof

let’s get buszzzy…just look at us now…we’re the proof!

Ghetto Streets

43941.jpg

Get off the streets!

Hot muggy, dingy, musty days

Like the clothes of the homeless

Where’s the cooling Rainfall

To cool the midday’s scorching sun

Or ease the thick clinging air?

Where’s the ripped open, blasting fire hydrant?

Blasting cool, refreshing water

Where is it! when you need it?

War like visions creep into view

and manifest itself on the filthy hot pavement

Of the Ghetto streets…

Where futures are decided by crack pipes

guns, wrong choices

And unfortunately, even where evil men are

molesting young girls of twelve

Ghetto streets find policemen patrolling, frisking and

taking lives of the down trodden

and expendable like they actually are a dime a dozen

Ghetto street…

Lights glare down on the young men of 12

Who should be home and in bed by 12

But linger to score one more time

On these ghetto streets

On these ghetto streets

bullets are ringing out a song like…

Double Dutch

But Russian roulette and guns win hands-down

On these ghetto streets….these hot sticky ghetto streets

dreams are shattered,

babies crying,

kids missing,

streetwalkers parading in fishnets

Men squandering futures;

Desperation, pain, blight, hopelessness, devastation, plight!

All lingering….On these ghetto streets

Future promises

Blurred vision,

Unborn dreams,

Lost destinies

Faded imagination…all

Products of these ghetto streets

Cleaning up these Ghetto streets

can only lead to new hope

New hope can only lead to lightening up these heavy loads,

Brightening up the gloomy days

Pumping in wisdom, rejuvenating minds, removing devastation

Boosting self-esteem, birthing fresh promises

Rekindling vivid imaginations

Inventing new dreams, inspiring new visions

Projecting heightened destinies

Emptying out the jail cells

Thus, giving unconditional hope to these lives,

Now hanging out on these Ghetto streets

New hopes, unconditional hope, changed hearts, bold attitudes,

I hope, will be coming soon

If they don’t know! Tell’em!

If they won’t go! Help’em!

DAMN!

Just get’em…all our peeps, off these jacked-up ghetto streets!

Jus’ Jokin’

43941.jpg

The other day, I was sitting in a waiting room.

I came early, cause my son had an appointment

And I didn’t want us to be late;

I walked up to the door; got scanned in;

Took a seat for the long wait.

The empty seats around me, when I took mine

Began to fill up—about forty of so…actually, they started a line

The seats filled with the young, the not so young

Those appearing to be disadvantaged, the immature;

The uneducated, the discouraged, the helpless and the poor

The desperate, the hopeless, the saggers

The failures, the wanna be’s, the do-raggers

Lord, in that one hour, they flocked into this space

Like going to the lotto office or betting on the horse race

I heard stuff that made me wanna be def;

I had to smile