My Spoken Words

By Rahimah S. Phillips

She had just turned fifty years young and was having the time of her life! She felt like she was living her best life! She looked good and felt great! Then, things changed--real quick. She was scheduled for a colonoscopy but could never seem to get to the doctor's office early enough. She didn't want to take a day off work. Not for this.

Maybe, if she had, things would have been different. Throughout this collection of poetry, Rahimah shares her feelings of living with a death sentence. As she struggles to survive and find ways to cope with a life-threatening illness, she uses poetry to help describe her feelings and express her thoughts. Then, just when things were starting to get better, came this horrible disease called COVID-19. Then, there were so many more emotions. Mixed emtions...

Confined to her home, Rahimah began to watch the news. Although some people came together, they remained apart. As Rahimah prayed for the struggles to end, she saw people killing and being killed. There were people who did not believe in unity, equality, equity, and dignity. As her words hit the paper and she spoke into her cell phone, her poetry came alive. Rahimah began to capture other people's emotions and incorporated them into her poetry.

She continued to listen. She continued to live. She continued to breathe, without ease. She continued to yearn. She continued to learn. Rahimah's poetry expresses feelings of faith, hope, courage, determination, and strength. And with the belief that "a picture is worth a thousand words" (Fred R. Barnard), Rahimah captures poetry in motion and uses vibrant pictures to continue expressing other feelings such as love, joy, peace, happiness, and pride--during challenging times.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9781639611867

Book preview

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My Spoken Words

Rahimah S. Phillips

Copyright © 2022 by Rahimah S. Phillips

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the author and publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

My Will To Live

Kindred Spirits

Soul Sista

Diamond In The Rough

The Real You

Something About You

Spoken Word

Kings And Queens

Dear Mama

What Is Love?

Summertime

Happy Home

Broken Vase

Tender Thief

Love And Respect

Hail To Dr. King

Stand the Test of Time

Stay Woke

Always On The Move

When I Woke Up

Just A Dream

Tick Tock

Fight Or Flight

A Living Soul

Living Our Lives

Personify

Watch Me Grow

My Heart Pounds

Colors

A Different Season

To my friend, Keith Walik Nash, who always took the time to listen and respond.

Personal Dedication

For my grandchildren—Amani, Kalahni, King, and Baby Zaria—who I know will become future leaders.

You can write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lies. You may trod me in the very dirt. But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

—Maya Angelou

Preface

Each of my poems tells a story. And while most of the experiences portrayed through My Spoken Words are my own, some adventures recorded were gained through observation. Although my collection of poetry pieces is mainly intended for entertainment, I hope that some of the pieces will serve as a reminder of things that were, things that are, and things that can be.

1

My Will To Live

My will to live

To stay alive

Wondering how long

Before I die

I used to be a dancer

But, now, I have cancer

I used to love fashion

But, now, I have another passion

I used to love to cook

But, now, I’m all into this book

Reading the Bible all day long

Asking God to keep me strong

Asking for His favor

Every day

Asking Him to lead the way

They said four months

Maybe twelve

At least I’m going to heaven

And not hell

But I wonder how long

I can stay strong

How long will I live in fear?

How much time do I have to spare?

Praying faithfully

Moving gracefully

Trying not to make this all about me

It’s about my testament

Where I was

And where I went

It’s about that dark place

And God’s grace

It’s what I saw before the light

It’s about the dreams I have at night

It’s about how hard I’m trying

Because I’m not dying

It’s about how much I’m willing to give

It’s about my will to live

2

Kindred Spirits

Kindred spirits

There is

Another image in my mirror

Showing her truth

But I don’t want to hear her

Showing her truth

Looking at