RASHIDA VASSEL

VERBAL INTIMACY








IF I TOLD YOU I WAS CELIBATE
WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO PENETRATE MY MIND
CONNECT MORE INTELLECTUALLY
THAN YOU JUST TRYING TO HIT IT FROM BEHIND
PAY MORE ATTENTION TO WHAT I SAY
AND LESS TO MY PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
I'LL PUT ON A SHOW FOR YOU
WHERE YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE IN THE AUDIENCE
MY CONVERSATIONS ARE LIKE FOREPLAY
I WANT TO GET YOU IN THE MOOD
LET ME STRIP YOU OF YOUR THOUGHTS
AND LEAVE YOUR BRAIN IN THE NUDE
DON'T CARE WHAT PEOPLE SAY
I LIKE TO DO IT ON THE FIRST DATE
MY INTELLIGENCE IS SWEET
AND I WOULDN'T MIND GIVING YOU A TASTE
LET'S LAY IN THE BED OF KNOWLEDGE
AND SEE WHAT IT IS WE CAN REDEFINE
I'VE CONCLUDED THAT THE BEST LOVE MAKING BEGINS
WITH THE MIND

© 2011 Rashida Vassel

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KAREN GILL

UNTITLED







After all the dead ends & lessons learned,
through all the heartache & memories burned,
could you open your heart & risk love's deceit?
Or would you lick your wounds & accept defeat?

After all the tears you've cried, the broken pride,
through all the times they've lied, the pain inside,
could you open your eyes to your own surprise?
Or would you sever your ties & accept demise?

After all the sleepless nights, countless fights,
through all the bitter sights, wrongs & rights,
could you open your mind, never look behind?
Or would you stay confined & accept decline?

After all the dreadful name's, childish games,
through all the picture frames, faded flames,
could you open the door, to love once more?
Or would you recall before & be inclined to ignore?

After all the broken hearts, we'll one day find,,
through all our questions, true love is blind,
though a million things could knock us off our feet,
always remain discreet, for sweet love's deceit.

© 2011 Karen Gill

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RONELLA ELLIS

I BE










i be
the scream without a voice
the dream somewhat lost
in the shuffle
of cards dealt
they flip one side over
and I found in the end...
it's a misdeal
no spades
no face
just colors
and low numbers
don't even get a chance to
re-nig/or re-define
me

i be
waking and walking dead
grounded in hogs shhhh
it's no secret they keep giving me the slop
no one wants
they...taunt me
haunt me...in shadows
unseen
and I'm the fiend searching
lurking
around every corner
waiting for winter to come
but sunshine and rainbows
don't seem to fit in brown

i be
the sound of broken time
tick tock fists cocked
and ready to release
the bullets of rage
that's been caged
Maya said something about singing
but no one even hears me
anymore
any more in store
for me
and I just might call it quits
this life is too much
a chore

i be ignored
i be war/ing
i be hidden in your
deepest
darkest hue
swept under a rug
kept out of the view

the honest
the onyx
the truth is.......

no one considered these
colored girls
for we be
in every wombed man
in every god's hand
and every one will
stand
eventually
claim voice of self
I said
I BE
didn't you hear me
...the first time?

© 2011 Ronella Ellis

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CATHERINE HAGLER

RESPONSIBILITY







We were living in oppression
And it’s still a great depression
To see our black men so weak and weathered
In a game ruled on drugs, tricks and fame
Some of these men are one in the same
But what is the game? Can you honestly say?
You look like you living large when you don’t got a damn thing
You wanna be a leader and you wanna make it big
And when you make it no where wanna blame it on the man
Some kids are growing up to aspire to be nothing
To work hard enough for the gov to give them something
While their moms are working hard just to keep them out of trouble
But their working even harder just to see their money double
You see they rather take the risk of going to jail
Instead of going to school cuz their scared to fail
16 and pregnant, Maury, and teen mom
Have given young girls something else to aspire for
Pregnancy pacts and feelings of being left out
Have put these girls in a situation that they wish they could take back
But get up off your asses if you wanna be something
Ain’t nobody gon hand it to you, you gotta work for it
You gotta go to college, gotta get your education
Then get a job, maybe open up a business
And a woman’s worth, nah a woman scorned
Means nothing to a man whose hand is too strong
And yet and still, I see the same thing
As I walk down the block to these boys who think they’re men
Asking for my number for a chance down my pants
And his highest education? He completed ninth grade
when I’m walking down the block with a BA to my name
I’m sorry sir, you have nothing for me
When the only thing you offer is a baby and some weed
Stop having babies; keep your dick in your pants
And even if you do, try to be there for them men
Too many baby mamas and too many baby daddies
Where are all the husbands at, why can’t we stay together?
Why can’t we be a family and try to work it out?
The divorce rate is so high; we wonder what is this about?
We forget about unity, don’t even know what it means
To try to work together, cuz we gotta be a team
You see I grew up on the block this is nothing new to me
I’m just waiting for someone who’ll take responsibility.

© 2011 Catherine Hagler

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TANYA BKa BROOKLYN

FANTASY









Should I slip on that red dress you like
and bat my lashes like so?
Should I put on the heels that drive you wild
and switch my hips to and fro?
Shall I giggle at every joke you make,
while gently rubbing your arm?
Should I hang on to your every word,
enraptured by your charm?
Shall I be a proper lady while we're out there in the streets?
Should I practice rules of etiquette
upon whomever I meet?
Should I turn into a devil when we're back behind closed doors?
Should I be a sensual, seductress
leave you always wanting more?
Shall I cook your favorite meal,
watch you savor every bite?
Should I be a domestic diva during the day
then be your freak at night?
All this I can do and more,
for one who earns my appreciation.
So if this sounds like something that you'd like...
I'm accepting applications!

© 2011 Tanya BKa BrookLyn

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Tanya BKa BrookLyn

BRYAN WINSLOW

IF I WROTE THIS THEN, MAYBE
WE WOULD BE FACEBOOK FRIENDS
NOW









I can hold you in my arms and promise you tomorrow
If it will stop you from crying
Tell you that I'll love you and only you forever
If I believed that my lying to you would bring relief
Would help mend your broken heart
And make it easier for you to start over again
I can tell you that while we are together
I'll never sin again
That I'll never take another number from another woman
Or wonder that phrase "what if" years from now
That I would find it within me somehow to be exactly who I am in your fantasy
That man that loves you tenderly daily
Cooks breakfast, lunch, dinner and even some snacks in between
Who is more girlfriend, than husband
And I'll even be your husband and create a family with you
If it would just keep you from spilling anymore tears
I'd quickly tell you that all I feared was commitment to you
Not because you weren't enough, but because I'm not
That i forgot who I was minutes ago
Figured that I wanted something different, that we deserved something different
But I can promise you that life will be different if you only
Stop sobbing to me
See I could never take a woman crying and I'm willing to lie to you
And deny me to insure that you are happy and
As for me
I can make me happy
Somehow
It may not be right now or a year from now, but
There is a chemistry between us, right?
And it's not all dark times with you, love
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel
While we walk to the altar, together
Balled and chained as the choir sings softly
I swear that I'll remain right here for years to come
And create and raise children with you
Grow old with you and tell you that God told me to
Forsake what my heart desired, desires
Needs
Nik I swear that if you just quiet down a bit
And open your eyes from those slits
I'll look you directly into them and tell you
That I'll love you for life
But you know it would be a lie
And I know it will be a lie, and this here wouldn't be alright
Ever
For when I dream of forever, I envision happy times created easily
Not forced
And our wedding day should produce butterflies and maybe cold feet
Instead of remorse for a broken hearted uninvited guest
And you know, and I know that
She is where my heart belongs
She is for whom I sing love songs
She is the reason for my determination
And she is the one crying hardest
So dry your tears, and release me
Hate me, curse, and then hate me some more if you must
But trust that i hold fast to the fact that I don't lie to woman
And I can't, in my hearts of hearts tell you I love you forever
And make you
The first
Go.

© 2010 Bryan Winslow


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EVE HALL

RESOLUTIONS








Another year has come and gone.
This is the time when we make new goals.
Resolutions that we fail to keep that are,
just another way of lying to ourselves.
Plans to lose weight and not stay up late,
that we will save money and spend less,
and not make our lives a terrible mess.

That we will be more peaceable,
and not always feel we’re right.
That we will admit to our wrongs,
and not try to fight.

That we will try hard to live and not die,
that we will be truthful and not lie.
That we will love and not hate,
that we will be early not late.
Why do we fool ourselves into making resolutions?
Because, we are human.


© 2010 Eve Hall

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SUPREME

A. SUPREME

FOR A DAY









God let me run things
for just one day
And She said
“Handle it, come what may”
So I sat at the desk
in front of the computer
And scanned through prayers
from Botswana to Bermuda

The first was from a little girl
who lives in Rome
She prayed that her father
would come back home
from a war she can’t understand
why he’s fighting
and if he could hug her tight
that would be so exciting

So I clicked the mouse
to send a reply
and the dialogue box said
Accept or Deny

And since in my hands
there was so much power
I decided to give all
the deserts a shower
And because of a friend
who’s from there named Sadie
I fixed all the stuff
that was going wrong in Haiti

But then things started
to get complicated
A group prayed to wipe out
another group they hated
They said that the only
way that they could be free
was if they got this divine
blessing from me

And then there’s the thing
with the Ozone layer
500 million people
praying that prayer

And hundreds of thousands
of folks in jail
just praying that somehow
they can make bail

And oh yeah the one from the CEO
who’s praying to find a way
to steal more dough

Even the whales and sea lions
troubled and toiled
praying to learn how
to swim in crude oil

By that time I needed
to take a break
and get some fresh air
for Heaven’s sake
So I rose from the chair
got out of the seat
and walked to the window
to take a peek

But just then God appeared
inside the room
and saw that my face
was drenched in gloom
“The task at hand”
She asked
“Did you begin it?”
I said
“I’m answering prayers Ma’am,
I’m all up in it”

She said
“Then what are you doing
away from your station,
are you taking some kind
of mental vacation?”

I said
“I’m doing this job,
I’ve answered a bunch
and now I am thinking
its time for lunch”

She said
“You used the phrase
You’re all up in it,
but you’ve only been at it
for 17 minutes”

It certainly seemed like
a lot longer was my plea
Then She raised an eyebrow you see
And asked why I hadn’t prayed
for anything for me

It’s true...
I could have had it all
love, happiness and wealth
But today the last person
I was thinking about...
was myself.

© 2010 A. Supreme

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SUPREME

LORRAINE TAYLOR

ONE MILLION BLACK MEN










I woke up this morning to a beautiful sky
The streets absent of men, the sun in my eyes
To Washington, DC these great men trod
Their feet barely touching your blood-soaked sod
A wonderful sight, one million Black men

In masses they came, by bus, train or plane
A day of atonement, not fortune or fame
Inch by inch and mile by mile
Their backs ramrod stiff, not cracking a smile
A glorious sight, one million Black men

From slave ships to your land, for Douglas and Tubman
From the whip and the lash to their blood on your sands
Their bodies so beaten, their spirits not weakened
Oh God I do love you, one million Black men

For Malcolm and Martin we cannot ignore
Your refusal to see them we truly abhor
You stole them away from our God and themselves
In this strange land they suffer and dwell
Oh how you have cried, one million Black men.

From Harlem to Nam, tenements to rice paddies
My husband he died there, my son has no daddy
Your welfare you dangle to tempt and to tease me
I must tell my son he’s an endangered species
Oh yes I do love you, one million Black men.

We’ve somehow lost hope, the hunters and hunted
Oh why oh why Lord is this world torn asunder
But still my eyes glisten with dignity and pride
As I gaze upon men with such purposeful stride
The heart of my heart, one million Black men

America you wanted a land of the free
But you just didn’t tell us you didn’t mean me.
The powers that be in your smoke-filled rooms
Apocalypse now, your doom and your gloom
And God if you’re listening to this my short story
Deliver to glory one million Black men.

© 2010 Lorraine Taylor

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SUPREME

LAUREN O'BRIEN

(UNTITLED)









Sometimes I get dragged down in the undertow of my emotions.
I get knocked by the weight of waves and hit my head on rocks.
Sometimes the waves of my emotions are so powerful I can't breathe
and I lose consciousness.
And sometimes my emotions wash me up on the shore of an exotic island.
Inhabited by beautiful people unsullied by western civilization.
Where I can survive on tropical fruits and the nourishment of the ocean breeze.
Where I can roam half-naked and unfettered by bills and concrete.
I like when my emotions do that.

(c)2010 Lauren O'Brien

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SUPREME