More Poetry

More Poetry

Other Duties As Assigned

Recently, I saw this phrase: “Other duties as assigned”. It made me think about women all over the world, all we are called to do, regardless of what is going on with us personally…So I started writing…..

We are mothers, sisters, lovers, friends,

We fix the boo-boos, and take care of mends,

We hold the hands of those that need strength,

We talk and council and talk more at length.

We keep our husbands, kids and houses intact,

And the dog too! If that’s part of the pact,

We praise and worship like we have no cares,

And know how to strut even if we get stares.

We read the Word, make sure what it says,

We study to show ourselves approved in all ways,

We support, cajole, inspire and persuade,

Our loved ones around us without being paid.

We wear many hats, we do many things,

We know how to share the joy that Jesus brings,

We love and care, sometimes until it hurts,

We secure the needs of others, often putting them first.

Yet we must remember this golden rule

As children of God we can’t operate as fools

We must love others AS WE LOVE OURSELVES

Not give out to others at the expense of self.

We have many duties, we have detailed lives,

We must commit it all to God to help us through the tide,

There will always be duties that we get assigned,

We must keep our eyes on Christ and He will keep our minds.

Trust Him, love Him, and give Him all your cares,

Lay down all your burdens; forget all your fears,

True freedom is in Christ when you enter into His rest

This one duty fulfilled makes you pass all other tests.

3/26/2009

The Moment

(The Inauguration of President Barack Obama)

Change is in the air

Elegancy on display

This is not really happening is it!?

Solemnity, steady gaze, flags-a-waving

My heart is full

My eyes stare at the golden doors

Anticipation, hope, joy

Wrapped in a blanket of palpable expectation

The shouts for “Obama!”

Rumble on the ground

Peaceful transition of power

Elegance, cuteness and steady power

Standing side by side

“As another line is etched

In the solid stone of history”

Those who marched and died

Made this moment possible

A land of endless possibilities

But the answer is in the doing

A great cloud of witnesses

And what do they see?

Smooth Confidence

Cautious Optimism

Can he do it, will he do it?

Does he know that there is truly

Invisible help available every step of the way?

This is a job too great for any one man

Screams, Tears

He laughs right before making the promise

Brown, yellow, and white all hugging each other

Shutters flying; click, click, SNAP!

Twenty-one gun salute

Change has come

Jumping stomping

Speechless sound

From the ashes of hate and segregation

To a new era of peace

This is the moment

Girl, just breathe

And step into the new light of possibilities

But I can’t help but wonder

Was the Son of Man received this way?

Did he have a parade, besides Palm Sunday?

Did anyone brave the cold

Just to get a glimpse of his head?

Isn’t HE the real change agent?

Who worships Him on this day

Or even thinks about Him?

Or have the masses found a “new messiah?”

Have we forgotten that ultimately

It is only God who puts one down and sets up another

According to Psalm 75 verse 6?

Where is He in all of this?

Did we overcome by our own might and strength?

We can’t forgot the invisible everlasting arms

Or we will be weighed in the balance

And see the writing on the wall like in Daniel 5:27

There is no new Messiah

God is still God

He is the only one that will be bring true transformation

WHEN HIS PEOPLE PRAY.

Release me: A Woman with Words

Woman:

Words, in unending number

Wrapping around my mind

Fighting for space inside me

Tugging at my insides and creating unrest

Holding me back, pushing me forward

Cutting off sound from the outside

While screaming for me to let them go

Loving me, laughing at me

Begging me to give them life

Words:

We want to join our brethren

On bookshelves all around the world

We have been inside her so long

We don’t want to make ‘the list’ or receive the award

We just want to live and experience the feeling

Of being spoken from someone’s lips

We want to move with fluid grace

Rolling into humanity’s ear, invading the consciousness

Making sense to someone

Anything, but being trapped inside the heart and mind of a singular owner

We don’t belong to her anyway

Why is she keeping us hostage?

Woman:

Why will these words not let me go?

And stop invading my space?

Who gave them authority to take over my mind?

There has to be a tiny door

That will send them marching to wherever they belong

For they do not belong inside me

Taking over my mind, clogging up my heart

Placing me on house arrest, a prisoner inside myself

How do I get these words out of me?

Is someone else supposed to read them?

Did I swallow the wrong alphabet soup?

Words, words, release me!

Find your way to get out of me!

However, you must be orderly and flow in poetic unity

You must look good next to each other

And sound like lyrical music

You must have rhythm, rhyme and poise

You must….

JUST----GET----OUT-----OF-----ME!!!

Despite Self-Inflicted Wounds

The pain I feel inside my head
The way I face each day with dread
The loneliness I face when friends have fled
It's from my self-inflicted wounds.

The dragging of my feet, the limp in my side
The patience I have waiting for hurt to subside
The heaviness in my step as I make my stride
It's from my self-inflicted wounds.

The bow of my head, the sad look on my face
The shake in my knees as I march in place
The glaze in my eyes as I stare into space
Because of these self-inflicted wounds.

The strong stride in my step, my swag and sway
The quiet peace I grasp as I make my way
The firm hope I possess for a better day
Despite these self-inflicted wounds.

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN “IF”

What would happen if
You thought of your life in days instead of years?
How many days have you already lived on this earth?
How many of those days have really counted for something?

How would your life change if
You decided that today is the "Someday" you always talked about,
When you will start that project, loose that weight, go back to school,
Or anything else in your "Someday Files"?

Think about the possibilities if
You faced the fact that "YES-BUT" is not in the dictionary,
Therefore you will not use that term anymore,
But will instead embrace an "I CAN" attitude?

Imagine the outcome if
You agreed to take responsibility for your life,
And throw out the list of favorite people to blame,
And declared, "It isn’t my Mama's, Papa's, kids', wife's, husband's or dog's fault".

What would you do differently if
You stop saying, "That's just how I am; I can't change!"
And realize that we are all in a stage of continuous growth,
We are either getting better or getting worse?

Would you start something now if
You decided that you would leave a mark on this world,
Through giving to others and making a difference,
And that your life will count for something?

Can you see the amazing future if
You realized that pity parties are out of style,
Procrastination is nobody's friend,
And time really does not wait for any man?

Would your life be a different story if
You found the box with your secret dreams,
Took it off the shelve, and remove the dust and dig in,
To rediscover what you said you wanted to be when you grow up?

Would it startle you if
You suddenly realize that you are all grown up,
And there is no magic motivation pill that you can take,
To stir the fire that must start within you?

How would you really feel if
Your days come to an end and all you have to show for it,
Are regrets, half-done projects, a half-lived life,
A "Someday file" and a box of hidden dreams?

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN “IF”

© 2003 Donnett Ekwerike

Donnett Ekwerike

There is power in words