Pretty Pieces

By Deeci Murphy

Pretty Pieces is a fresh banquet of poems to engage the mind and soothe the spirit. Tributes to Kobe Bryant and The Charlotte 9 are just appetizers in the well-rounded meal she presents. The meaty entrees pay homage to her Philly hometown with Wait in the City for Me and God’s Grace. Introspective refl ections on her personal battle with breast cancer are more than side dishes. Her insights challenge us to honor marriage, be honest with ourselves and those we say we love and of course, there’s always some humor to round out the poetic meal. Deeci continues to present poetry that is insightful and relevant. She remains unafraid to highlight today’s issues as well as write about those topics that resonate with the truths of everyday life in Philly, and everywhere else.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9781796087123

Deeci Murphy

Deeci Murphy is a Philadelphia poet, author, and educator. “Philly born and raised”, she has a unique perspective on her home town. “I don’t write about the dressed up City of Brotherly Love, I write about what Philly’s like when our company goes home”.

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Copyright © 2020 by Deeci Murphy.

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.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 03/25/2020

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Acknowledgement

For Carter

An unexpected joy

Contents

1.     A New Year

2.     Pretty Pieces

3.     A Final Reflection (A Tribute to Kobe)

4.     Had to Grow Up

5.     Take Out (Tribute to the Charlotte Nine)

6.     Some Women

7.     Friendship is Work

8.     Just Words

9.     Never Saw It Coming (Domestic Violence)

10.   Your Plan (A Prayer)

11.   Jury Duty

12.   Talking to Yourself

13.   Just In Case

14.   Getting My House in Order

15.   Honor Me

16.   River Song

17.   Life Lessons

18.   Hard Questions

19.   The First Snowflake

20.   The Time is Now

21.   Park Bench

22.   Problem Child

23.   Plan B

24.   Be Still

25.   Hearsay … They Don’t Ask About Her Anymore

26.   Ask Me?

27.   More Time

28.   It’s Mother’s Day

29.   The Pain

30.   Inner Voice

31.   Curser Flash

32.   Gonna Mother Myself

33.   When

34.   Falling Tears (The Diagnosis)

35.   Many Days – Living with Cancer

36.   Day to Day (The Resolution)

37.   Wait in the City for Me

38.   Gathering Voices (Strolling through Old City)

39.   God’s Grace

40.   I Teach in Philly

A New Year

This New Year comes in silent, no revelry or celebration

A quiet welcome, no fanfare or elation

Another year to look forward and hopefully not dread

Another year to spend analyzing the thoughts in my head

I’m grateful to be alive, encompassing this time, this space

But still so uncertain if it’s a gift or just grace

My heart remains heavy, feelings lonely and bereft

Putting forth a constant effort, but feeling there’s still work left

A new year should be another beginning, a chance to start anew

So why is there so much fear and uncertainty still attached to everything I do?

I want to become more confident, feeling somewhat in charge of this life

But this constant backstroke upstream is wreaking havoc on my life

Another self-help book or brain improvement video

Can’t shed light on my situation and what I already know

Some folks see a new year as a chance for personal gain

But when they get to the end of it the reality is all the same

A brand new year is just another opportunity

To feed my mind and heart on making me a better me

To