Tuesdays with.... (#5)

Today's poet is also one of my favorite children's book authors... Judith Viorst. One of her best known books is "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day". She has also written several poetry collections. Today's poem comes from her book "Forever Fifty".

As always, I pray you will relax, reflect and enjoy.

The Pleasures of My Ordinary Life

By Judith Viorst

Copyright 1989

I've had my share of necessary losses, 


Of dreams I know no longer can come true. 


I'm done now with the whys and the becauses. 


It's time to make things good, not just make do. 


It's time to stop complaining and pursue 


The pleasures of an ordinary life. 



I used to rail against my compromises. 


I yearned for the wild music, the swift race. 


But happiness arrived in new disguises: 


Sun lighting a child's hair. A friend's embrace. 


Slow dancing in a safe and quiet place. 


The pleasures of an ordinary life. 



I'll have no trumpets, triumphs, trails of glory. 


It seems the woman I've turned out to be 


Is not the heroine of some grand story. 


But I have learned to find the poetry 


In what my hands can touch, my eyes can see. 


The pleasures of an ordinary life. 



Young fantasies of magic and of mystery 


Are over. But they really can't compete 


With all we've built together: A long history. 


Connections that help render us complete. 


Ties that hold and heal us. And the sweet, 


Sweet pleasures of an ordinary life.

Spirit Filled Sunday #11

This Sunday kicks off my church revival. This morning the congregation was blessed by messages from two dynamic preachers: Rev Emil Thomas and Rev Jerry Carter. Our revival continues Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night. I am looking forward to hearing the Word from these men of God.

Today I want you to answer this question: When was the last time you really prayed? Not one of those ritual prayers (Now I lay me down to sleep or God is great and God is good), but a real prayer. A prayer where you pour your heart out to God and then silently wait for His reply before moving on to the next thing on your to do list. I encourage you this week to renew your connection to GOD: the One who has total power... the One who provides complete fulfillment. Spend this week reading the Word, fellowshipping with other believers and most of all communicating with GOD through prayer.

If you do not have a relationship with God, my prayer is that you find your way to Him. He's waiting for you with open arms. Call His name. I promise He will answer.

Have a blessed week!

Thought Provoking Thursday (#9)

This picture goes along with the word for this week's word for Writer's Block Wednesday...

Taking Flight by Francesca

Writer's Block Wednesday (#35)

The word for this week is FLIGHT. Wrote a poem about it. Wanna read it? Here it goes... as always, I pray you will relax, reflect and enjoy.

Pretty Wings

Copyright 2012

Maxwell

with his fine self

and

melodic voice

sang of

"pretty wings"

"pretty wings"

wings aren't pretty

when they're weighed down

burdened with the baggage

of yesterday's unkept promises

scared with self doubt

inherited from the words of others

engulfed with the envy

of jealous girls in awe of your cute girl swag

filled with the fear

of failing to reach dreams that are just within reach

Maxwell

with his fine self

and

melodic voice

sang of

"pretty wings"

"pretty wings"

wings aren't pretty

when they're weighed down

so

shake it off

shake it off

lift your wings and fly

above

doubters

haters

fakers

dream takers

procrastinators

and even those

head shakers

take flight

with faith

God's breath is

the wind

beneath your

pretty wings

pretty wings

Tuesdays with.... (#4)

Today's poet is one my childhood favorites: Shel Silverstein.

I hope you enjoy!

God's Wheel

By Shel Silverstein

GOD says to me with a kind

of smile, "Hey how would you like

to be God awhile And steer the world?"

"Okay," says I, "I'll give it a try.

Where do I set?

How much do I get?

What time is lunch?

When can I quit?"

"Gimme back that wheel," says GOD.

"I don't think you're quite ready YET."

Spirit Filled Sunday #10

I have a confession to make: I have not been to church in 2 weeks. Yep.... it's true. I went to Sunday School last week, but not church. This morning, I missed both. On both occasions, I missed church due to commitments I made with my daughters. Last week, we went to my co-worker's ranch to ride horses. This week, we went to a birthday party. And while my girls had a wonderful time and enjoyed themselves, I am feeling as if maybe I made a mistake. Am I, through my actions, telling them it is OK to put other things before GOD? Should I have said no to the invitations because they interfered with church? I am not sure, but I definitely will think twice before accepting another Sunday invitation. By the way, the picture accompanying this post is entitled "Time Well Spent". How are you spending your time?

I leave you with this Facebook post I read today (coincidence or divine intervention) posted by Rev. Kevin Swindle, a preacher I respect tremendously:

In Biblical times, what do you think life in the day of a servant was like? A servant worked in the master’s house, attended the master’s needs, and was always available to the master when the master would call. The servant’s life was not his own. The servant’s personal life, interests and desires were secondary to the interests of the master. As Christians, we believe we are to be servants in the house of God. As such, how might you imagine life in a day of a servant of His house? Are we working in His house? Are we attending our Master and ensuring we are available to do what He asks, when He asks? Do our personal lives, desires and wants become secondary to God’s interests? The heart of servant-hood is sacrifice. Each day presents us an awesome privilege and responsibility to faithfully focus on the interests of God.

Thought Provoking Thursday (#8)

Your thoughts?

Breath-Seeds by Dirk Joesph

Writer's Block Wednesday (#34)

So, I must confess...I do not have an official post for tonight. Whitney texted me the word on Monday and I just have not been able to come up with something. I have lots of "starts" to poems, but none are completed. It happens....thus the name for this weekly post "Writer's Block". The word for this week: JUDGE. Let's see what you can come up with.

In the meantime, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr and the national holiday in celebration of his birth, I thought I'd share this famous quote:

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

― Martin Luther King Jr.

Relax and reflect on that and I'll be back next week :)

Tuesdays with.... (#3)

This Tuesday's poet is one I discovered while I was in high school. My mother shared a book with me entitled Black Sister which is a collection of poems written by African American women. There were many poets represented in this collection (including my Ms Nikki G) but this poetess' verses stood out. Sadly, she lost her battle with cancer in April 2010 and died at the age of 69.

In her memory, I would like to share the following poem with you. This is a poem I performed as a monologue in my college Drama class (scored an A+... my teacher had a knack for spotting true talent). As always, I pray you will relax, reflect and enjoy. Ladies and gentleman, the talented Carolyn M. Rodgers ...

A Poem for Some Black Women

by Carolyn M. Rodgers

copyright 1992

i am lonely,

all the people i know

i know too well

there was comfort in that

at first but now

we know each others miseries

too well.

we are

lonely women, who spend time waiting for

occasional flings

we live with fear.

we are lonely.

we are talented, dedicated, well read

BLACK, COMMITTED,

we are lonely,

we understand the world problems

Black women’s problems with Black men

but all

we really understand is

lonely.

when we laugh,

we are so happy to laugh

we cry when we laugh

we are lonely.

we are busy people

always doing things

fearing getting trapped in rooms

loud with empty…

yet

knowing the music of silence/hating it/hoarding it

loving it/treasuring it,

it often birthing our creativity

we are lonely

being soft and being hard

supporting our selves, earning our own bread

soft/hard/hard/soft

knowing that need must not show

will frighten away

knowing that we must

walk back-wards nonchalantly on our tip-toeness

into

happiness,

if only for stingy moments

we know too much

we learn to understand everything,

to make too much sense out

of the world,

of pain

of lonely…

we buy clothes, we take trips,

we wish, we pray, we meditate, we curse, we crave, we coo,

we caw,

we need ourselves sick, we need, we need

we lonely we grow tired of tears we grow tired of fear

we grow tired but must always be soft and not too serious…

not too smart not too bitchy not too sapphire

not too dumb not too not too not too

a little less a little more

add here detract there

lonely

Spirit Filled Sunday #9

I had the honor of attending a spoken word poetry event last night. The featured artist was a talented sister whose mission is to share the word of GOD and her testimony through poetry. She is powerful... she is inspiring... she is a CHILD OF GOD. So in this post, I want to share one of her MASTER pieces. Ladies and gentleman, the talented and anointed:

MissTerious Janette...ikz

Click on the link...

Listen...listen... listen....

I Will Wait For You - MissTerious Janette...ikz

Thought Provoking Thursday (#7)

the balance...

Writer's Block Wednesday (#33)

This week's word is BRACE. Nothing racy tonight... just a simple poem.

As always, I pray you will relax, reflect and enjoy...

before the fall

copyright 2012

saw you coming

from across the room

swag in your walk

confidence on your face

you were on a mission

there i was

in awe of your whole self

not fully paying attention

lost in the fantasy

of my desire

i fell in love

but forgot to

brace myself

for the fall

Tuesdays with.... (#2)

I am not a big fan of rap music. I am more of a smooth R&B type woman. I do believe, however, that there are some rappers out there that are true lyricists. They put words together with thought and intention in order to evoke emotions in the listener. This is exactly what poets do. Some of my favorite rapper/ poets are Drake, Jay-Z, Biggie Smalls and Common. The next time one of their songs comes on radio, ignore the beat for a minute and pay strict attention to the words. My guess is that you will hear the poetic flow that can sometimes be overshadowed by the beat.

This week's poem is by a talent actor, lyricist, rapper and poet....Tupac Shakur. As always, I pray you will relax, reflect and enjoy...

I Cry

By Tupac Shakur

Copyright 1999

Sometimes when I'm alone

I Cry,

Cause I am on my own.

The tears I cry are bitter and warm.

They flow with life but take no form

I Cry because my heart is torn.

I find it difficult to carry on.

If I had an ear to confide in,

I would cry among my treasured friend,

but who do you know that stops that long,

to help another carry on.

The world moves fast and it would rather pass by.

Then to stop and see what makes one cry,

so painful and sad.

And sometimes...

I Cry

and no one cares about why.

Spirit Filled Sunday #8

Breath in... Breath out... Breath in... Breath out...

I needed that. My prayer partner told me tonight that I sounded "rushed". I think she is right and I think I have pinpointed the reason. It seems like I am always moving. Working on this project and the next... writing skits.... writing poems... taking my business to the next level... revising work presentations..... reading this month's book for book club... taking my daughter to gymnastics, Girls Scouts and dance... going to my son's b-ball games... selling Girl Scout cookies so that my daughter reaches her goal... making lunches for school (which starts tomorrow after a long Christmas break)... washing clothes... cooking dinner... cleaning the house... reading bedtime stories... being a better than good wife...

.... ahhh.... breath Tina... breath....

In the midst of all my "moving", I must remember to stop and ask myself, is GOD being glorified in the process or am I just being busy at being busy? Honestly, I am a little afraid of the answers to those questions. This reminds me of a passage in Luke 10 which reads:

Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at Jesus feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and as she approached Him said, Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me. And Jesus answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.

Luke 10:38-42 (NKJV)

So I challenge myself, and you, to reflect on the busyness of our lives and determine if we are choosing the "good part" like Mary or are we "distracted with much" like Martha. If we find that we are more Martha than Mary, it's time to start crossing some things off our "to do list" and start making time to sit at Jesus' feet.

Thought Provoking Thursday (#6)

well...ok...

Writer's Block Wednesday (#32)

This week the inspiration for Writer's Block Wednesday is not a word... it's a command. Me and some of my girlfriends were laughing and talking this weekend and one of them told me I should write a poem based on these 3 words: lock the door. Since I am always up for a challenge, here you go. I pray as always that you will relax and enjoy... HOWEVER if you are under 17 parental guidance is strongly suggested... just saying... every thing ain't for every body...

Lock the Door

(a poem inspired by Lo's hijo)

copyright 2012

been thinking

bout you

all day

scheming

planning

blushing

bout

the things

i wanna

do to you

hoping

wishing

grinning

bout

the things

you gonna

do to me

i am

your

sophisticated lady

in the streets

your

uninhibited freak

in the bed

come

with me

to where

it all

goes down

no need

for conversation

actions
speak louder

than words

can't you hear

my body

screaming

my eyes

lips

breasts

fingertips

legs

thighs...
the pearl that is found in between

every

single

part

of me

is calling

for you

c'mon and

lock the door

so you can answer...

Tuesdays with.... (#1)

The last 20 posts for Tuesdays have been dedicated to the talented Nikki Giovanni and her marvelous poetic works. For 2012, I would like to expose my blog followers to other poets. So each Tuesday I will showcase a different poet... and OF COURSE throw some Nikki in there every now and again. Today's poet is: ALICE WALKER
As always, I pray you will relax, reflect and enjoy...

Watching You Hold Your Hatred

By Alice Walker

Copyright 2010

Watching you

hold

your

hatred

for such a long time

I wonder:

Isn't it

slippery?

Might you

not someday

drop it

on

yourself?

I wonder:

Where does it sleep

if ever?

And where

do

you deposit

it

while you

feed

your

children or

sit

in the

lap

of

the one

who

cherishes

you?

There is no

graceful

way

to

carry

hatred.

While

hidden

it is

everywhere.

Spirit Filled Sunday #7

Happy New Year!

As I start this new year, I think it is always important to take a look back to see how far GOD has brought us. We need to praise HIM for how HE kept us during the bad times and celebrated with us during the good times. Speaking of good times, here are my 2011 highlights (in no particular order)

• Reconnecting, renewing and reflecting with my husband as we fell in love with each other all over again

• Hearing my youngest daughter sing in the church choir (at 2 years old) with the confidence of a diva

• Watching my oldest daughter dance with such grace and beauty

• Witnessing my son run the ball down the football field leaving the opposing team trailing behind

• Publishing my first poetry book and releasing my spoken word CD

• Meeting Ms Nikki Giovanni and placing my poetry book in her hands

• Screaming at the top of my lungs with excitement and high school girl giddiness at the New Edition concert with ALL six members: Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, Mike, Ralph and Johnny!

• Becoming Facebook friends with the talented and down to earth published author Lolita Files

• Mending friendships

• Putting my faith in GOD and conquering fears that once paralyzed me

I am grateful for all that GOD brought me in 2011. I am looking forward with anticipation for what HE has in store for me in 2012.

As we begin this new year that is sure to bring some joy, some successes, some challenges, some obstacles and some pain, we must remember:

Seek the kingdom of GOD above all else and

live righteously and HE will give you everything you need.

Matthew 6:33

God Bless!