The Point of It All: Poems, Thoughts and Language

By Lillie Smith Bailey

The Point of It All is a collection of poems grounded in the writer's experiential and vicarious experiences. To the poet, poems are designed to raise, respond and react to points that reach deep into the soul, because therein lies a person's innermost thoughts, emotions and instincts about right and wrong. This poet's vision reflects how deeply she feels about ideas and issues that force humans to question themselves and their behavior. Some of the poems although not intended to be didactic serve as reminders for everyone to be forever conscious of the embedded messages in society that might threaten their values and change their points of emphasis. She offers that it is imperative that everyone must use their voices, poetic or otherwise to forever remain true to their moral vision.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9781796085044

Book preview

ACK RITE

Things are not simply because

they happen today. Most occur

now, then and always. Many

are because of misguided

thoughts and poor decisions.

Some events justifiably guide

many different people in the

right direction, while others

strengthen and accelerate the

warped ideas like tempting

pieces of candy, that tend to

lead the weak children astray.

Why don’t they just ack rite?

Many parents make the most

egregious mistakes of giving

advice after advice to their

precious yield who listen with

one ear, but do not hear at all

when they see that their

parents do not always practice

what they preach.

The parents’ game is basically,

Do as I say and not as I do.

That advice is good enough

for past generations like

seniors and baby boomers,

but not for today’s youth, the

millennials, the X’ers and the

Z’s who do not want to hear

how it was back in the day,

the Rosa Parks’story or the

Abraham, Martin, and John

song.

Why don’t they just ack rite?

They feel they do not need to

read and learn much from the

conventional tools, or just to

know things; especially, about

the past and the good ole days.

All many of the children want

to do is simply text message,

fakebook, and tweet hear-say,

rumors or gossip with little or

no facts, accurate information,

or true thoughts.

The youths’ actions, attitudes

and behaviors foretell their

everlasting destinies. Often,

they claim that rules are made

to be broken, despite the stern

adults’ claims that rules are

made to be obeyed. Why don’t

they just ack rite?

What is going to happen when

chaos ensues to redefine their

dreams, when in infinite

ignorance they break all the

rules, like recalcitrant

children and rebellious adults

do? Tell me, to whom and

where are they to turn when

the going really gets rough?

Why don’t they just ack rite?

DO THE RIGHT THING

Why don’t you just behave

and do what you are supposed

to do? Would not it make your

life easier if you simply just do

the right thing?

Why must you be told twice to

carry out your responsibilities,

personally, and professionally

since you know what to do and

what is expected of you in the

workplace, in society and at

home? Just do the right thing.

The world is not your parent

or even your au pair; so, you

must be alert, expeditious,

perseverant and judicious.

When you are told to go left,

you go right. When asked to

head up, instead you go down.

Just do the right thing!

Why must you be so

recalcitrant, negligent and

anti-establishment? The

world does not owe you;

instead, you are obligated to

act responsibly; take care of

life and limb, and sustain the

environment. Just, do the

right thing.

Everyone needs to obey the

golden rule; be kind to

nature’s critters; practice the

ten commandments; help

sustain the earth; and stop

rushing head on into

nothingness. Just do the

right thing!

DREAM NEW DREAMS

Hold on to old broken dreams,

but envision new dreams and

perhaps help redefine and

strengthen the American

Dream out of faith, wisdom

and respect, but not because

of fear.

People may not be the persons

today that they wanted to be

yesterday; perhaps someone

else stole their ambition,

progress, or even, self-esteem;

but, everyone should have

power and control over their

own happiness.

Everyone must stand up tall

and restart old defunct

dreams, then give them a new

focus because dreams were

not made to be broken, and

shattered like fragile crystal.

Instead, dreams are just

deferred until they are

refocused, revamped and restored. The

past is done; now, on to the

bigger and brighter future

already promised.

People’s hearts and souls are

not supposed to be trampled

on as though they do not

belong to humans but to

cold-bloodied entities that

have no feelings.

However, sometimes, life

throws curve balls, and the

road traveled is unpredictable

such that so many travelers

choose to step along forbidden

paths to let their spirits soar;

then, cry craven when they fail.

When the path narrows, then

straightens, everyone seeks a

stranglehold, a grip within

reality that positions them to

catapult their way back from

distractions, lost hopes, and

negative situations that tend

to thwart their journey and

kill their dreams.

All who exist need to have a

vision, a plan to survive and

must hold steadfastly to their

hopes and beliefs. Although

many people’s dreams seem

a long time coming, almost

dormant, dead; but dreams

die only when people are

silent, voiceless, weak and

give up in despair.

So, everyone must awaken

each day, and passionately

pursue their dreams until

they reach fruition.

RECOGNIZE

It is my job to facilitate you–

to help your creative juices

flow, to encourage you to

express yourself, to expel

your emotions and to

provide this forum to you,

to empower you to discover

your own true voice.

I am supposed to hear your

voice even when I struggle

and barely recognize my own.

Always speak the truth we are

told; but, I ask, don’t we

always, especially about our

lives, and most certainly with

our eyes, because the eyes

don’t lie?

The eyes emanate reality and

truth, not lies. Lies become

the truth. The truth is the glue

that connects our hearts and

binds our communities

together.

Lies told and those not told

break us apart and destroy

our souls. Eyes radiate the

pain and the suffering at

home and all over the world,

the truth that we cannot deny.

The eyes embody the whole

truth that censurers want to

deny, and sometimes call

fake.

The proverbial they better

realize that all voices need

to be and will be heard

because all lives, especially

black endangered lives

matter.

So, you tell your truths and

your stories in great detail-

ostentatious manifestations

that define who you are.

They expose life’s little

vicissitudes that nearly trip

you up, and leave you lying-

in languishing-in varied

kinds of uninhibited mire

that silence your voice for

generations and destroy

your self-esteem forever.

Now, I must ask you to share,

to like, go naked, to tell your

story. But, do you even listen

to me? Do you even hear me?

Am I not hip enough, or cool

enough for you to pay even a

small amount of attention?

I am not here to entertain or

perform tricks for you. I am

more serious than that.

Understand that I hear your

voice-even give you a chance

to hear mine.

My words tell you the facts