Enough -- Guest Post

I was white until I shed my skin,
Looked to depths of my cavern within.
Same was I to the woman, child, man,
Whose original shell was black, brown or tan.
Blood, bones, beating heart, thinking brain.
Walking Earth but a mere human stain.
Members of an anthropoid evolving race.
Sharing an overpopulated crowded space.
Colour of hair, shape of eyes, no more
Relevant if only to start a war.
Idolatry, false prophets, prayers to gods,
Proselytizing ideology competing, at odds.
Racist hatred blood shed, time wasted, lost.
Eviscerated humanity, and for what cost?
In end we return to dust, we disappear,
Gone with corporeal, prejudices and fear.
Equanimity achieved only in the ground.
Past due, hope for the living to be found.
History passes, time melts, into ether fades,
Till marching men storm carrying blades.
Cycle repeats, wounds unseal, hatred reborn,
Nothing learned, for our souls we must mourn.



(c) 2015. Naomi Elana Zener. All Rights Reserved.

Naomi Elana Zener is the author of both Deathbed Dimes and satire fiction, which is posted on her blog Satirical Mama. Her vociferous blogging has been read and appreciated by industry bigwigs such as Giller Prize winner Dr. Vincent Lam and New York Times best-selling author and journalist Paula Froelich. Naomi blogs for Huffington Post and her articles have been published by Kveller, Absrd Comedy, and Erica Ehm’s Yummy Mummy Club. She’s currently working on her sophomore novel. You can connect with her on her website or on Twitter @satiricalmama.

 

A Mother’s Hopeless Fantasy -- Guest Post

I don't usually run poetry, but this piece is raw, honest, and spellbinding. Thanks to N. Lei Walker.

...

Every mother wants to protect their child. 

Maternal instinct will have you be their shelter from the rain

Without any hesitation, jump in front of a train 

Run full speed into a blazing fire

Be their triple AAA, Geico, and spare to their flat tire

But how do you shield them from words?

Words can be more painful than 3rd degree burns

How do I preserve his innocence from the ignorance?

When stigma precedes actual contact

The sad realization is prejudices has too much of a profound impact

Keeps the world all contained but not intact

I guess in a way I want him to stay ignorant to the world

Let him think glass ceilings are actually glass ceilings

No need for it to be broken by a woman or a girl

So what do I say to my son?

A brown little boy with beautiful nappy hair, you know the hair that makes bubbles at his hair line before comb,

The child who knows wherever mommy is, he is home

How do I explain that in this day and age his reality of his beautiful friend who has bold brown eyes, stringy blonde hair that surpasses his chin

has more privileges, to win

I question, should I be the one to invade his candy land with the bitterness of this world?

When it’s the 11 year anniversary of Trayvon Martin would I tell him,

There is no iniquity in humanity

 It wasn't anybody’s fault on that rainy day of February 26, 2012

The gun malfunctioned in the rain

but don’t worry Trayvon didn't feel any pain

Zimmerman’s intent was to simply show off his rocket

In exchange for the skittles that were in Trayvon's pocket

There is something precious about the innocence of child. Who waves Hello on a crowded New York City subway without any intrepidation

And not show bias because of class, race, gender, and or education

I want him to stay inculpable and still manage to defy all odds, crush misconceptions, jump over obstacles, and just taste rainbows

Even the one’s in Trayvons pocket

When its the16 year anniversary of Mike brown 

The summer before college, to get him safely to his dorm

Should I explain to him the respective way to greet the cops?

Post up and surrender

Without mentioning, he maybe the assumed offender

 Should I tell him there is no such thing as the right place at the wrong time?

Its only right place at the right time

But be home a hour before the street lights

And don’t wear black and yellow together, blue and orange, and forget about red

Neutral colors compliment your skin

OH, and there are places where the sun won’t shine

So don’t cross that city line

Inform him, war is a form of protection

From New Orleans Hand Grenades

And the KKK are dressed up as ghost for the city’s Halloween parade

And then I wake up

To realize I will be his biggest enemy

My fantasy world has a huge penalty

Shaping a man to have no identity

In order to recognize the bloomed flowers

We have to be aware of their nonexistence in winter time.

To be continued…

N. Lei Walker

 

Book Review - Break for Beauty, Elizabeth Hawksworth

OKAY, FIRST: GO VOTE.

Done? Okay, good. Now read this.

If given the choice between poetry and prose, I gravitate toward the latter every time. It's not that poetry isn't amazing in its own right; I'm just one of those people who needs the words to surround me, build a picture, not with emotion and feeling, but with text.  I feel prose more than I do poetry.

That is not the case with Break for Beauty by Elizabeth Hawksworth.

"What does a journey through 10 years of becoming a writer look like? Elizabeth Hawksworth takes her readers through a varied and unique collection of poetry and essays about different parts of her life. Exploring religion, mental illness, self-discovery and other themes, this book emulates different poetry styles and word-painting to introduce readers to herself and her love of poetry."


I picked it up, expecting the whole thing to go over my head and leave me cold. Instead, an intense and emotional narrative enveloped me.

Perfectly chosen pieces flow into each other as easily as each artistically chosen word beats meaning and life onto the page.

Here you will find raw and base emotion dissected into intelligent ideas and original thought.

The tortured pen paves the way for reader breakthroughs with each phrase.

And the upswing of poetry is that it's perfect for people who can't commit themselves to reading for long stretches of time, like moms and business people.

If you've got a few spare moments, you've got time to Break for Beauty.