I'm a Growing Woman

PAD Challenge Day 30: Write a harvest poem. A Poet's Garden In my right hand, my pen is a sharp, fine,  thin, black, beautiful hoe. Along the bed  of an empty page, is where she lives and loves to sow sweet seeds from thy own  heart and soul, for the world and I to reap lyrical flowers that grow in memory of one in a million of my emotions sown.  In times of weeding, I weed strength,  courage, and wisdom together-plowing  righteousness with tenderness through my  agony, jubilee, and uncertainty into another  soul-- like birthing life to roses to raise love  in love poems; like baby breaths grasping,  sharing my first breath of new rhythms and  rhymes; like sweet peas for all of my sweetest  imagery; like lilies in memories of my mountains  after reaching the divine comfort of a valley;  like sunflowers boldly yelling at the world to stand tall in resilience and to keep heads  high in the midst of torrid times; li...

PAD Challenge Day 29: Write a pocket poem. Poem in my Passport I got a poem in my passport called If You're A Beggar, Be a Chooser Too . Come here, I'll show it to you. See! Right here, between the black back cover page of my left and right sleeves, beside the currencies of 1 Bahamian, 5 Euros, 7 Bermudians, 7 Barbadians, 20 Carribbean guilders, and 25,000 Rupiahs is a free villanelle from Courtney Dowe handed to me in Washington, DC, after I recited some poetry. From poet to poet, I'm happy she gave it to me- 'Cause I didn't have to be a beggar, only choose these words for keeps. 💜D'ElegantOne 

PAD Challenge Day 28: Two-for- Tuesday: Write a love and/or anti-love poem.  Human Love Subjects I love studying the whole heart of you  as you heart the biology of me You're always hypothetically  determined to solve what and who we could be I love surveying our history Yours is almost identical to me Full of evolution, purpose,  resilence and self-efficacy Together always valiantly sharing  why when and where we should be Making life more interesting and interactive when we intervene  I love the analytics of your attitude and how it measures a space  for vulnerability and sensitivity You're always processing the raw  even in the gray area  of your own inaccuracies  Generating softer patterns  for me to discover  a better you with me To Be A Hater, or Not To Be to be a hater  verily ye must hate   everything the nature of someone else  even the nature of thyself thy lips of thee heart  always spewing i...

PAD Challenge Day 27: Write a fan poem. Music Junkie if music was a drug  i'd be a devoted junkie never in pain forever out of a silent misery ears constantly fiending for a melody as genres track after track medicate me soul floating on cloud nine while words and sounds stimulate me regulating my blood pressure and boosting my energy  Dopamine running rapidly as iTune euphorically happily dancing composing or casually listening  💜D'ElegantOne 

PAD Challenge Day 26: Write a “Last (blank)” poem. Last Good Cry Last night after some  good butter chicken  and a garlic naan  with a good friend,  I let the wind caress  me as I sashay  up the concrete- we danced with the  soft rain until  I went home  fell into my own arms and had to a good cry.  I cried for all the good girls,  whom I call warriors of love  because we loved ourselves  through brokenheartedness  to repairness...all alone-  while always been good...did good...  and still doing good  from the goodness of our hearts  because we are more than good enough... I cried for the children I fed this week  because they didn't have enough food  after school so I wonder  if my blessings are keeping them smiling.  Are they happy and full?  Are they able to sleep in peace?... I cried for the world  How sad are the daily broken blues  swallowing up precious tim...

PAD Challenge Day 25: Write a remix poem. Pick a poem you wrote earlier this month and re-create it in a new way. 💰 4 Wars, But Can't Feed 🍽 the Poor  (This is the remix from Day 9: A Triolet Poem) Tupac, where's the lie? Another 1.1 million dispersed for missiles, displacing thousands of Arabian lives While an American father and two daughters softly ask me for food to get by. Tupac, where's the lie? Three elementary kids in an alley nervously ask me for a few dollars to split some burgers and a fry. Since FEDs snapped SNAP by $187 billion, its been affecting millions of lives. Tupac, where's the lie? Another $1.1 million dispersed for missiles, displacing thousands of Arabian lives. 💜D'ElegantOne 

PAD Challenge Day 24: Write an unidentified poem. Who Am I? My rich roots in Africa  crowns me Queen. I'm a flawless diamond  emerging from rough history. My looks are unique. I range from the deepest  shade of ebony  to the warmest bronze  to the lightest tawny. My size and shape runs from  small to a voluptuous physique. My voice can be screechy,  smoky, sultry or husky. Even my hair has  porosity and diversity,  it can be tightly curly or coily. Down on earth,  I'm the most unprotected  and disrespected human being. Beyond the imitation and mockery, I still take pride in making strides. I come from a legacy of resilience, a beautiful, distinguished, elite genealogy  of pioneers, rebels and cultural icons. I'm known for reclaiming anytime. I make sacrifices for self and all of mine. Even with the weight of the world  on my shoulders,  nothing ever fails around  or can succeed without me- not even the family an...

PAD Challenge Day 23: Write a juxtaposition poem. love&war I wanted to love you more. I mean I want to love more  love into you  but I'm exhausted  from the stressed feelings  I conceived and  the strained patience  I'm miscarrying from  overloving you so lovingly. I can't even afford  to subtract more love  from the little bit  of my love leftovers. I'm completely depleted  from the  "for the love of you"  type of love.  The love flow I have  is not sufficient  to sum up what you  need to be for me.  I wanted to make  love with you again. Completely redefine intimacy  for all that it is worth to what it never  physically was to us... Before you and I happened  Clearly, not justify, but clarify  every flaw between you and I. Make it where  plastic and foil hearts  are not even generous  to show and tell because love words  in action was our bond. I ...

PAD Challenge Day 22: Write a natural poem. Au Naturale i love you more in the nude  where i can get a 360 panaorma view  of your monochromatic shade  of rich dark homegrown cocoa  that only I get treated to its like gold to my bronze skin and when we collide i can't even hide  my own natural sweetness from inside 💜D'ElegantOne 

PAD Challenge Day 21: Two-for- Tuesday: Write a high and/or low poem. 34,000 ft Altitude  up & more up & away overnight over deep blue seas my heart got Afrobeats come listen to Motherland speak can't you hear her calling me another long lost black star  back to the Door of No Return  6ft Below  Funny we plant the  people we love and grief grows Sporadically 💜D'ElegantOne 

PAD Challenge Day 20: Write a "No blank" poem. No Really Means No No. One small word. Two little letters  One consonant...one vowel Big versatility but simple to echo & far from being a short   meaning for  Not Sure, Maybe,  Try Again,  Think About It in the absence of  what you want present. So,  the next time,   he , she or they say: No to unwanted advances  because no means no ; No to dope because  it comes with no hope; No H8 because  love is love; & its getting closer  to losing its way; No MORE   because we had  enough... seen enough  murder-suicides &  domestic violence; Vote NO  to the pyramid schemes  & power grabs from congressional map flipping; Vote NO again  to save the Acts   from the hands  of those acting,  faking like they care; Say No King because  only Jesus is a real King! Say no   because  it really means ...

PAD Challenge Day 19: Write a family poem. 1st Cousins   Growing up in the 90s,  my first cousins were  my first companions.  My first best friends  before we learned how  to pronounce and spell F-R-I-E-N-D.  We shared more  than flesh and blood.  We shared quality time- known today as nostalgic  memories of us being two  then more peas in a pod. We were more jolly than  the Jolly Ranchers and  sweeter than the Cracker Jack from the hands of our  grandma's at sleepovers  where we were fed  food from the soul,  danced the Electic Slide  and did the Tootsie Roll. Every summer,  we dreamed out loud together  over grape, green apple, orange  and cherry freeze pops  and Lemonheads. Far from Warheads and Airheads,  only Nintendo, Easter egg hunts  and Trick-or- treating made  us short-term frienemies.    At our own  private pool parties  or beach tr...

PAD Challenge Day 18: Write a reconsideration poem. 2nd Thoughts  💭💬 on the other hand  it was love their mind/body/soul needed quality time they'll recall back in time  when words of affirmations matched the acts of  services & the best gifts from YOU & I were  presence, trust, & empathy in periods of tough times when  limited edition of earthly angels like US  genuinely showed up to touch a heart like never before  💜D'ElegantOne 

PAD Challenge Day 17: Write an ambiguity poem. in a sHaDoW of a doubt with good intentions  i came here to be the best that i could become i thought you could see  the passion persistence & potential painted on me when my neon spirit  showed up & showed up again  because i heard  through the grapevine  that people living in the true colors  of their souls in human artistry  could offer & receive  aqua & light  in evolutional artistic spaces  like this  to unpretentiously  glow & grow  become fine art  without playing a sinister role in politics reducing queendom to a pawnship or flaunt puppetry & petty at the crossroads of tit for tat cause in the acts of these actions  a mass mystery of misunderstandings lies  until next time we meet again &  make ourselves less opague  & more clear 💜D'ElegantOne 

PAD Challenge Day 16: Write a new poem. New Greens From black land to black hands, guess what? I got new greens! They are southern, broad and beautiful like me. Good ole country d ark, hearty, loose leafy greens; Stem strong, thick and luscious as me; Ready to be soaked, washed, rinsed, Stacked, rolled, then cut up in between. Oh, I even got a new stockpot, a little smoke turkey and some seasonings. Mmm Mmm, Sniff...sniff I can smell n' taste them now Oh, with a little pot liquor, kissing cornbread then me. Mmmm Mmmm- collards so good, I'll probably praise dance then shout and scream! 💜D'ElegantOne 

PAD Challenge Day 15: Write an “Under (blank)” poem. Under the Impression   as I grow wiser in l-o-v-e,  i'm not under the same  impressions about it it appears easier to season to taste  love slowly  as compared  to deep loving quickly overly sharing  the acts of kindness  and services can  birth internal complications  and introduce  a lifetime of lacerations too much love bombing  to the point where love  is just as confused  by the heart shapes  worn on sleeves taped to windows filled with chocolates  or blown into balloons  on one day  in the month of February completely contrast  to the concept of  a human's heart  and the time it has on earth living under the influence of 1 Corinthians 13 just as foreign as  love languages billions will have  a different type  speak of more if correctly affirmed 💜D'ElegantOne 

PAD Challenge Day 14: Write form and/or anti-form poem.  The Onomatopoeias of Hip-hop When a hip artist  hop on a beat, it goes  BOOM BOOM BAP   then BOOM CLICK-CLACK   [[[ SHH!!! the synthesizer]]] Skrrt... skkrrt...         Drop the beat. Oh! SNAP                     Bring it back. Then KABOOM! The volume goes  ZOOM ZOOM for more  BOOM BOOM  to shake up the room Like magic Poof! It's a hip-hop hooray! Mean n' Messy true terrible twos An x-ray of a soiled soul Bare out of disguised  💜D'ElegantOne 

PAD Challenge Day 13: Write a problem poem. Basic Math  When it comes to relationships, it is simple math for me to  identify my place value with you. If I factor my whole self  into your life  without a greater fraction  of you  ➕️  I can't round up your love  for me to at least 95%  from 94.999999% of the times; ➕️  If I can't multiply the best of me,  while respecting your exponential  grow too;  ➕️  all I feel is divided by you  and  your negative attributes;   Then, this relationship is clearly  a dysfunctional  order of love operations,  and  I'm not your equal.  So,  please excuse me darling as (I) subtract  me from you  for you to figure out  your own  differences alone. 💜 D'ElegantOne 

PAD Challenge Day 12: Write a set poem. Victoria's Roller Set Back in the day,  Bronner Bros, Luster's and  Dudley Beauty designed  Victoria's Hair Secrets . In Fayettenam, it was imperative  to schedule to receive  five star beauty care in Vickie's chair.   After draping you in a black, red and white  salon cape, she would escort  you to a black luxury bowl  and lounging chair  with silver armrests;  If you were too short  your feet dangled in the air.  Mrs. Vickie would gently  massage shampoo and conditioner  into wet coily, dyed, or permed hair; Rinse as she swooped the water  around the edges with care; Comb from the ends to the roots  detangling without breakage of fine, medium and coarse strands  as females laughed and spilled tea about their family and friends. For extra volume  and a little more body, she would add a  whole Lottabody setting lotion,  from the roots to ends,...

PAD Challenge Day 11: Write a home poem. House of Grief  Lately, Grief has been a frequent guest in my family room of my traditional home of comfort where it tries to rent to own empty spaces, when I'm the only resident, paying in full for memories and pain, after gratefully entering and exiting a foyer of prayers daily. My living room is painted neutral and cozy with pretty memories of when I thought I had enough length of time by the width of life with my Father, grandmother, favorite elementary teacher, sister-friend and mentor that can no longer have a seat at the table of life with me. Instead, Grief has taken several seats quietly. It knows how to sip and be merry, break bread lovingly with me like we are loyal comrades, when it is really a recurring enemy that has tried to cook and poison me in my own kitchen.  I thought about emptying a few bottles from the wine cellar to drown the pain, but I can't find the strength to because they can't carry messages in a bott...

PAD Challenge Day 10: Write a mini poem. A Poet's heART Gallery  Poetry,  my atelier, where I  press n' paint my  heart on pages; Pitching  true colors  of my  soul to  the world. 💜D'ElegantOne 

PAD Challenge Day 9: Write a “(blank) But (blank)” poem. 💰 4 Wars, But Can't 🍽 the Poor if Tupac was alive i would instantly reply where's the lie? these are the coldest  wars to live by politicians rather hype up  chaos and capitalize spend millions to billions to trillions for fighter and bombers jets to fly- cause more economic disruptions  aggravating disparities and  environmental destruction psychological distress and post-traumatic stress  let innocent civilians die than allocate federal monies to supply subsistence to keep citizens alive Inspired by "They got money for wars, but can't feed the poor." - Tupac Shakur (Keep Ya Head Up, 1993) 💜D'ElegantOne 

PAD Challenge Day 8: Write a paranoid poem.  The b &w  Paranoia Activity  there are always thoughts about  how blacks physically fit  into phenotypical spaces  according to our genotypes... but one's color  like size does not fit all  even dark meat has been  picked apart from the white  balanced and weighted  differently down to whether  red or yellow bones are better  and  if those blacker  than a berry  has sweeter juice  all along acting  as if being black  wasn't good enough for b&w when really the color of black culture  diligently dressed us unanimously  in different seats at the table  where the history of our bloodline conjoined us  and we became music  in rhythm with  our Black American blues  a black chorus  singing the sweetest amazing grace one band under one sound and  soul food kept us coming back  for seconds or more of ...

PAD Challenge Day 7: Two-for-Tuesday prompt, write a dawn and/or dusk poem. Daybreak Before the daybreak, I lay vertical to the heart of dawn outside my window where I listen to the spring songs of American Robins, Carolina Wrens and Sparrows. My eyes rest while I stretch my imagination to wonder, how the sun feels about rising and warming up to this new day? Is it tired from shining the day before? Will it humbly share its light some more? Does it have enough charisma and energy to scatter, trace the shadows and figures of trinkets, nature and people? Is it confident enough to create and star in Earth's drama series? Will it be positively happy without any guilt or shame about it's natural brilliance? Or will it lay low, hideout patiently until Earth comes back around again? Nightfall After the sun call it a night, I wonder how the moon feels about his orb stepping out of the limelight of the sun onto the stage of nightfall; Sometimes at times, solo or leading a band of star c...

PAD Challenge Day 6: Write a water poem. Tears of Joy Out of an ocean of grief An ephemeral river flows from me What a relief  I'm a lily coming out of a valley  Rain dancing on the mountains  to life's positive peaks 💜D'ElegantOne 

PAD Challenge Day 5: Write a safety poem.  A Safe Place My spirit sustains honor  in what I call a household  of unconditional love  and genuineness to heart,  where men, women and children  feel safe and sound. I host no vacancies for  prejudice and judgement to live. I soley welcome courage and vulnerability room to gradually  grow from within. I set solid security codes  for one's emotions and insecurities  to permanently rest in peace. I take comfort in knowing  I comfort relatives, friends and outcasts who: Crave compassion with confidence; Thirst for wisdom and personal depth, Seek refuge from life's natural disasters; Humbly request asylum from  wars launched by natives and foreigners; Desire rest after being a blessing in disguise;  Possibly, in dire need, of prayer  and solace from a wholly sanctuary of peace; May ask without asking for shelter  from the cold hearted and cold blooded; Look for a quick hi...

PAD Challenge Day 4: Write a friend poem. Lost Friend If I look like I lost a friend I did and this loss feels next to kin. If you could radiograph  my inflammation and pain, You'll see photogenic  memories across my brain; Swollen tearducts after  another 24 hours of  dry cleaning my eyes; Lungs deflated by an inch in size; The density of my heart  heavily soaked in grief; Cardiograph uttering a rhythm of bradycardia beats; Extra gray matter of emptiness inside;  Contrast proof of depth love  no longer by my side. 💜D'ElegantOne 

PAD Challenge Day 3: Write an “Open (blank)” poem. Open Up Three  raindrops  kiss the middle  of my forehead Signals from a cloud or two Preparing to open up  for an ugly cry on a pretty Good Friday 💜D'ElegantOne 

PAD Challenge Day 2: Write an express poem. Order of Operations (PEMDAS) According to America’s standardized order of operations, being a Negro in America is an arithmetic expression. We are grouped by  (race and ethnicity), once transported in brackets, preserved and valued as commodity (traded…sold) to the New World where our freedom  was (exempted) and names (redefined) without consent. Modern African (Americans) historically, distinguished as Colors to an actual color (Black) Not once perceived as (human), always categorized as something (ugly) (The N-word. Coon. Monkeys. Apes.) Our grandmothers (good cooking, cleaning Mammies) Our mothers (called Sapphires when the helix of our DNA exposed the world to black diamonds and pearls) Our Fathers (a boy or a buck) (never seen as a Sir or a Gentleman…) Our children (Sambo or Pickaninnies…today’s (thugs) All of the above… always seen (suspicious) Let America tell her story, even she knows, She has more freedom significantly than ...

PAD Challenge Day 1: Write a seed poem. Mustard Seed If my spiritual mountains could talk, they would dare not whisper a lone sweet parable. They would shout, in the name of Jesus, declare and decree victory over my misfortunes. With poise, chapter after chapter, of despair and sorrow, their words would etch and sketch me out of hopelessness and calculated schemes orchestrated by life’s adversaries. Their words would color me pretty undefeatable; show and tell the peak of my faith; shape me in the symmetric of the eleven Hebrews. Down this visual Hall of Faith , by my lily in the valley, these mountains will faithfully announce the fate of my faith. They shall say: God is her only idol. She is a descendant of Abraham; Her righteousness never took rest. She is an ark and captain of her sea, by and by, floating by faith through the flood of her grieving tears. She is an escapee to death and modern slavery; a modest scion of black success, steering new generations with wisdom and comfort...