America The Beautiful (Haiku for Ahmaud Arbery)

Odyssey

so
I wonder what would it be like
if I were a planet in your universe

what if I flew too near to your sun?
would you singe my wings
like Icarus
hurling me downward 
onto the jagged rocks of your shores?

could I revolve
and evolve within your solar system
keeping track of time and seasons?

would you support me with your gravity
or would I fall from your galaxy
into unknown worlds beyond?

would I be just another planet
in your universe?
another star among the millions
illuminating your nocturnal skies?

I wonder what it would be like
if I were a planet
in your universe

Love Poem I

you
are 
so close to my heart
each beat pounds
metronomic rhythms of love
coinciding with my motions and movements

you 
are the center of my every thought
the author of my passions
my pains
the inspiration for words of poetry
beautiful
and complex in its messages

silent
as morning silence
seduces darkness into light

soft
as April rain showers
fall lightly upon my front steps

beautiful
light-skinned beauty
dark-skinned majestic

at times
stubborn
in your attitudes

ugly
in your indifference and ignorance

sickening
in your selfishness

but I do love you
because you created me
and I
am of you

ain’t it a wonderful thing
to be you
to be me
to be

a people?

Grace 'N Mercy

I wasn't going to say it

ain't proud that the day and time has come to fruition
spending sprees and credit purchases
yesterday
but the bill came in the mail
today
and the collections department is demanding immediate payment

I ain't the one to rub it in your face
but I seen this coming from way back when
you ignored the signs and wonders 
the laying on of hands didn't work
the holy ghost called you several times
but your heart was in non vibrate 
silent mode 

I ain't gonna bask in the glow of

..there

almost said it
and I promised I wouldn't point my finger
dancing in delight around your maypole
'cause mine is tied right next to yours
but 
I heeded the warnings

built my house with bricks and stone
looking out at the old neighborhood 
homes and li...

Standing In The Shadows Of Love

the Cakewalk
the Charleston
revealing rag time dresses and uncovered knees
more interesting than the 
CanCan from Paris days of gay
gone yesterday
but there it didn't stop 
next on the jukebox 
the Jitterbug and the Lindy Hop

it's still cool to look back on You Tube videos
watching how great grandma danced at her high school hop
and did the Stroll
now 
head-nodding in wheel chairs
taking its final toll
family backyard barbeques 
watched daddy and mommy do the boogaloo
and whatever dances 
I can't remember the name
some years later
me and my peoples every Saturday
watching Soul Train to up our game

but I don't dance no more
the times ain't as happy and carefree
as long as needle on the turntable stayed sharp and ready
I stay at my table now
in the...

Touche

I was not really unfaithful
or having a cheating moment
relapse of the old days
or more like
uneven
gloriously blissful
intoxicating
and
unapologetic nights
coming to her shores
to sow my wild oats

you were up and about
doing this and
doing that
no telling expression on your face 
as I sat here
ashamedly unapologetic about
my unintentional moment of
unfaithfulness

I am not sure what lit the fuse
something on TV
something out of the blue
made me think of her and that moment or
moments we shared so long ago
up early
making the donuts 
with extra oats in the ingredients

her smell
her touch
the aroma of the aftermaths coming over me
and wasn’t looking both ways before I crossed the street
I should have
and it hit me
sending me flyin...

People, Places, Thangs

poem
tucked neatly discretely away
underneath three upside down walnut shells

people
places
thangs

carnival sounds
and tasty Caribbean fare

colorful
festive costumes surround us
contemplating

it is about you?

watching me shift the shells
slow
accelerated

be patient
in a minute 
I will give you the chance to overturn one
uncovering the truth

was it about you?

somewhere with you?

something we did?

somewhere over the rainbow
far
far
away?

incapable of sleep last night
until it found its way on my note pad
and underneath one of these empty walnut shells

a game of chance
for sure
and even if you pick the right one
I am not obligated to tell you the truth

a writer of poems
has that privilege

so

A Pretty Little Poem

One day

I was in a green mood

Sitting myself down to write a green poem with lots of green things in it

Grasshoppers

The evergreen tree just outside my bedroom window

Grass covered baseball fields

Thinking it was a

Pretty little poem

Showing it to her

And she asked why I was so envious

My mood became red

Sitting myself down

Again

To write a red poem

Pouring red things into it

Long stemmed roses in bloom

A tall glass of cherry Kool-Aid

My cousin's '68 Camaro

Thinking it was a

Pretty little poem

Showing it to her

And she asked what I was so angry about

Then

My thoughts became black

Sitting myself down once more

And attempted to write a

Black poem

??

Contemplating a ...

Salvation

Moments after when the tears have dried
And I have put aside my emotions
Setting them down in a nice glass jar in the center of the living room coffee table
Not forgetting where they are

When I need to refer back to the old me

And if I need to black out for a moment
Apologizing profusely for stepping out of my inner self
Remember

It don’t happen too often

Often told and knowing truly 

That my fuse line is longer than that

One lane highway across the Nevada desert

I know me

As I grow older

Steady mirroring the personality of my daddy
Patience level swaying in the wind
Needing a moment to dip my toe into the pool

Yeah
I know how deep the damn water is

And so I find myself here
Alone with me
Or
The soft 
Smooth touch of you
A tall glass of icy pineapple...

She Loves The Color Blue

She loves the color blue
But ain't got 'em

Ain't got the sympathy you think she should have
As you bypass her soul
Peering endlessly at what you think you came for
But will leave empty handed

She loves the color blue
But ain't got 'em

Ain't got the smile you see painted on Barbie Doll's face
Just the same one she wears when her heart is broken
When she's chillin' at the weekend house parties
Hiding her joy from you
Hiding her pain from you
Just like the morning clouds hide the still sleeping sun

She loves the color blue
But ain't got 'em

Got plenty of blackness
Sometimes passing for the blues she loves so much
But you gotta look deep within her to find the richness of its hue
Regal
Like a shining Black Panther
She could've been
Like a loving black mother
She surely is

Yeah

She's got plenty of blacknes...

Not Too Much To Ask

gimme the sounds of soft jazz
when the evening sun goes down
street lights shining around me
as I cruise about the town

gimme a tall glass of wine
filled with sparkling chardonnay
sipping quietly in my chair
as I slowly end my day

gimme the evening news at six
the bad mixed well with the good
present it to me in such a way
that it can be easily understood

gimme her touch in the morning
as she slowly opens her brown eyes
please fill my bowl with hello's
and an equal sized bowl of goodbyes

gimme the mysteries of religion
unanswered questions I will ask
unfiltered and all raw truths
revealed from behind the mask

gimme all the unrest and violence
along with peace and tranquility
let me get Windex for the mirror
so I can get a better look at me
and seek pen and paper
to write about it