Poetry Is An Art Form
by Marichal J Brown 5/24/13
Poetry is an art form
Words are arranged and spoken
Like the crystal clear water of
the river flowing over stones on the bed of the river
Grasping the rhythm of life
Like a drumbeat
Pumping fluids through the veins of the city
like a heartbeat
Dear Haiti
by Lawrence ‘NSAA’ Dinkins 1/13/12
Dear Haiti
Your head continually bowed
From earthquakes and sickness
Storm and money misdirect
When will former slaves who freed themselves
Be free
From the stigma
Of freeing themselves
Dear Haiti
We pray for you
That your water will be clean
Your land stable
And your mind at peace
42 Laws, The Remix
by: Dante Pelayo 4/23/13
honor the virtue of the life you were given,
benefit with gratitude as your light has risen,
into a place in the sky that keeps you peaceful,
respecting others property and not being deceitful,
cherish the living that keeps hearts beating sacred,
give genuine offerings that will block all hatred,
grow in the glory of your own living truth,
respect all altars with high regard & couth,
speak sincerely; consuming your fare share,
offer conversations of the good intent that is here,
pay heed to animals with reverence as they awake & are rested,
pay heed to your integrity so others know you can be trusted,
care for the mother as she is your earth,
keep your own council to dictate your worth,
speak positively of others to show your devotion,
find the scale to remain in balance of your emotions,
learn to be trustful in your relationships,
hold your own purity highly to gain companionships,
spread joy to your world, do the best that you can,
communicate with passion to every woman and man,
lawyer your ear to opposing opinions,
create harmony in all life’s dimensions,
evoke laughter to fight off deadly disease,
be open to love however you please,
be forgiving to yourself & those you call enemy,
bask in your kindness to create your litany,
carry yourself with respect as you do for others,
be accepting of all your sisters & brothers,
follow your inner guidance as your supreme blessedness,
speak with magnitude in grace, knowledge & awareness,
do good every time that you can
hand out blessings to your brethren,
keep the water pure, filter the dirt
talk with good intent, to surpass the hurt
praise a god you see in the vision of kin,
try to stay humble among the rest of them,
achieve all goals being truthful to self,
advance your abilities for the sake of your health,
cherish the planet from its mountains, oceans, & waterfalls,
& most importantly don’t forget to have an embrace, for the all.
They Had Some Nostrils
by Vincent Kobelt
l. They had some nostrils
Purple nostrils that flare
At the sun
Blue nostrils that spat fire
When they galloped
They had some nostrils
That spooned out cantaloupes
Of night
That danced on drums
And carved the wind
Into mpingo wood sculptures
Of musicians blaring trombone
Solos of desert bossoms
Plucking mbira
Spots
Of the leopard
They had some nostrils
That howled at the silver fox
Crushed into the pit of the blackened night
Above the alleys of the desert city
Surrounded by machinery of neon lights
Reflected on sun burnt sun glasses
Of cracked addicted fiends
They had some nostrils
That illuminated the black dots of
Unsolved murders in the city
That sniffed up cocaine
and sneezed out the lost women of Juarez.
II. Atlas, some nostrils do hunger of cocaine
glazed white lines of ecstasy
humming on tables all across
this great urban wilderness of North America
Follow the sniffing and you will find
The corpses of brutal homicides
right across the Rio Grande from El Paso.
III. They had some nostrils
That blended the sun into juice
red nostrils that sweetened the room
silver nostrils that lit it
saxophone nostrils that wailed
that blew blues
nostrils that tasted the smell of rain
nostrils that dream, dreamt of fresh air
simple and sweet as serenity itself
IV. Something about the passage of the nose and mouth
that opens us up.
there is rhythm to breathing but nothing says breathing
like baby’s first breath: the chest heaving,
sinking and expanding
incessantly. It’s as
if a living light
was lit once we start
the breath.
Lo, for the insanity of the world strangles
and so we need breath.
We need the nourishment of plants
and trees.
Yet something as vital and delicate
as the nose upon our face
can be so harmless and yet be the instrument of so much harm.
