 | Poetic Reflectionsposted by Terri Lyons, Full AccessThursday, February 11th 2010 @ 9:14 PM  (1 ratings) |
In honor of Black History month, a taste of the sixites
(From the book Midnight Alley copyright 2010)
New Birth
You can’t understand what the noise was all about
Unless you know what happened before
You have to get past the protests and shouts
And look at a time right after the war.
Battle fatigue and economic meltdown
Had just about worn this country to the ground
Vets needed serenity
And fulfill the dream of a comfortable life
They wanted peace and prosperity
Of a nice home and a young wife
Lots of babies were made
Known as the post war boom
But America was still afraid
Because a cold war loomed.
Behind this wholesome veneer
Was angst and despair
America had yet to be sincere
About the freedoms they declared
Gays hid underground
And blacks were beaten and denied
A dutiful wife dared to make a sound
She had better obey and abide
Ahh, but when the babies became teens
Around 1962 or three
There were some changes to the scene
Because people were tired of being treated mean
They busted open with a craze
A fearless generation could not be controlled
They were working hard for freer days
Weren’t going to live a life of doing what they were told
Now, status quo didn’t like it one bit
Imagine having equality for all
Bull Connors and Hoover were having a fit
Hippies and rock bands were having a ball.
Sit-ins and boycotts
Far as the eye could see
People were battered and shot
Just trying to get some equality
That’s why the sixties were something else
People had backbones and brains
They thought bigger than themselves,
Had bigger lives to obtain
So if you’re frustrated at the modern day norm
There’s nothing new to be said
Know it won’t change until people make a reform.
This time the revolution starts in you head.
| Black History Monthposted by Terri Lyons, Full AccessSunday, February 7th 2010 @ 7:14 PM (2 ratings) |
In honor of Black History Month, I wanted to share a poem with you that will be released in my next book Midnight Alley. It's entitled
& nbsp; ANTHOLOGY
I think of Ellison not being seen
And the agony of Hughes deferred dream
I muse David Walker’s appeal
I think of Elizabeth’s unconscionable school days
Plessey’s trolley ride ordeal
The churches that were maliciously set ablaze
Billie’s bitter crop
Miles and Satchemo
The Rosewood nightmare that wouldn’t stop
The cotton seed they had to sew
They helped me to understand
Gave me a nutritious place to go
I’d crumble in this landscape that’s shallow and bland
With no place to reflect and nothing to grow
I look upon Robeson’s passion
And rejuvenate with Angela’s style
I’ll take time to read Zora Neal Hurston
And sit back for just a little while
Dr. John Hedrick Clark
Articulates the genesis of empires
He elucidates my blood
His presence and command require
Critical thought to what I’m made of
I went to the Birmingham jail
Heard Fannie Lou Hamer speak
And Chick Webb wailed away at the Home of Happy Feet
Booker Ts Compromise
Dubois’s talented tenth
Maya quest to rise
The Underground Railroad length
Marvin’s divided soul hollers
Wright’s native son
C.J Walker had two precious dollars
And the road to freedom was Highway 61
Love me some Frankie Beverly and Maze
Baldwin’s nameless mountain on fire
Shaft with Isaac Hayes
Motown’s musical empire
A balanced diet of ancestral cuisine
Is a necessary supplement
For my mental hygiene
I love every last one
They made my life worth living
They endured under the grace of moon and sun
And gave a gift that keeps on giving
