Lady of Liberty

Lady of Liberty and Mother of Freedom and Justice to All,

who offers her welcome to whomever may call,
be them rich, poor or oppressed,

she stands watch in her robes, so dressed,
a gift of friendship from France to the U.S.

dedicated in 1886 and designated a National Monument in 1924,
an historic landmark to its very core.

she passed her torch from Bedloe’s to the renamed Liberty Island,
never frowned, but kept on smiling.

she raised her torch of eternal light and freedom upwards toward the heavenly clouds,
evoking cries and tears of emotion from the visiting crowds.

so, thanks to the great genius of Bartholdi and Eiffel, our symbol
of freedom still stands by the bay,

to signal all passing through, that liberty, justice and the
pursuit of happiness and opportunity in America is here to stay,
in the good ole U.S.A.

  ~Joseph P. Martino, Poet, Writer, World Traveler

New Beginnings

~ Gertrude B. McClain

I can’t.  I just can’t.  I can’t do it all.

I can’t be all things to all people At all times and under all circumstances.

I can’t be the one to always change my plans to suit another’s.

I can’t be the one to pick up after others all the time.

I can’t work all day and stop at the grocery and cook dinner And have it ready by 6:30.

I can’t carry the weight of the world on my shoulders.

I need some support, too, and a rest.

I can’t; can’t, can’t cantaloupe, can’t canticle, can’t cantilever,

Cantina, cantata, cantankerous, cannon,

Canape, canard, candelabra, can… can…,

Can I? Can I just do it? Can I do it all?

Can I ration my time to allow for my priorities?

Can I ask others to share the burdens?

Can I refuse this role of superwoman?

Can I just ‘say no?’ I can. I can just say no.

I can just say, “I’m out of the business of doing it all.”

I can take time for myself to breathe

And dream or just sit quietly.

And I will!

Who Am I

I am a woman that is black and beautiful inside and out, filled with joy and pride.

I am a woman as graceful as a butterfly; a woman that can be seen and  heard.

I am a woman that is cunning, a woman of skill and knowledge.

Who Am I

I am a woman with strength, to knock down any boundaries keeping me from my journeys of life.

I am a woman that dreams to have a life of an angel with never ending love and happiness.

I am a woman that’s your lover and friend, and keeps you feeling loved and secure.

Who Am I 

I am a woman of respect and admiration; respecting and admiring mind, body and soul.

I am a woman with a passionate kiss and lips as soft as fresh rose petals.

I am a woman, leaving  you wanting and wishing for more.

Who Am I

I am a woman with a charm that’s as radiant as the sunshine.

I am a woman full of laughter, giggles and grins, which is the medicine of the soul.

I am a woman with my own identity, look into my eyes and you’ll see who I am.

~Created from Shayla Parks’ Poem

The laughter of women sets fire
to the Halls of Injustice
and the false evidence burns
to a beautiful white lightness

It rattles the Chambers of Congress
and forces the windows wide open
so the fatuous speeches can fly out

The laughter of women wipes the mist
from the spectacles of the old;
it infects them with a happy flu
and they laugh as if they were young again

Prisoners held in underground cells
imagine that they see daylight
when they remember the laughter of women

It runs across water that divides,
and reconciles two unfriendly shores
like flares that signal the news to each other

What a language it is, the laughter of women,
high-flying and subversive.
Long before law and scripture
we heard the laughter, we understood freedom.

 ~ Lisel Mueller