I feel your pain when you were raped and your attacker showed no remorse as he stared into your eyes and pumped bullets into your fragile body
I feel your pain as he took your virginity then treated you like a tramp when you told him that you were carrying his child
I feel your pain when you had to do things that you would not have ordinarily done
I feel your pain as you suffer in the cold, cold foreign land
No one to lend a hand
I feel your pain as your parent hurled insults at you
I feel your pain when you cried because the man you love lied to you as he slept with a woman he called his friend
I feel your pain as you grieve the loss of your only child
I feel your pain as your loved one succumbs to the debilitating illness
I feel your pain as you yearn for the love of your dad or mom who never finds time for you
I feel your pain as you long for a friend to share your worries
I feel your pain as you gave up Christianity to be with the man you love
I feel your pain as you squander your possessions
And you have moved from riches to rags
I feel your pain as you struggle with the acceptance of yourself
I feel your pain as you go through your divorce
I feel your pain as you cannot recall who you are or what you used to do.
You have lost your identity
I feel your pain as you no longer remember your humble beginnings
You are trapped in the world of materialism
I feel your pain as you try to cope with the challenges of school life, challenges of life
I feel your pain
I feel your pain your pain your pain.
I feel your pain
- Charmaine E. Gooden Monteith
Crushed papers, watery eyes
Every line begins with a tear
Hurt, pain, sadness, demise
All words describing her deepest fear
Futile thoughts of green pastures
As she tries to put her emotions to ink
But the sorrows of life masks the faint laughters
That she tried relentlessly to in sync
The tenth paper hits the floor with a sigh of frustration
She gave up and turned to God's creation
In the whispers of the wind laid inspiration
The chirps of the birds screamed relaxation
She could hear the footsteps of silence
As nature felt her divine presence
Her emotions seeped through her pores
While endless lyrics walked through sealed doors.
- Shuancie Barrett
Years you kept appearing before me
I never saw you
With your eyes, you spoke to me
I never heard you
Busy chasing butterfly dreams
I mistook infatuation for love
Became Mrs So and So
And shattered my heart
Ripped my soul apart
Swore I would never love again
There was no emotion I would feel
I shielded my heart
Now Mrs Ice and steel
Away from your circle I moved
You no longer appeared before me
I kept seeing you
I kept hearing the messages of your eyes
I began to melt as when the sun's rays
caress the snow
Determined my heart I kept on shielding
Through the voices of two strangers
You spoke
Expressing your feelings
Hope in me invoked
It proved to be the smelter's furnace that
removed my shield
Once more you appeared before me
I saw you
You spoke to me with your eyes
I heard you
My heart you mended
My soul you healed
But how could you love me?
I am worn
How could you love me?
I am tattered
Am I dreaming again?
Tell me with your lips you've always loved me
- Veronica Y. Anderson
The Church is weeping for her children
Boys, now changed to twisted men
Unable to accept themselves
Because of what others did to them.
The Church is weeping for her children
Girls, turned into confused women
Unable to even love themselves
Because of what others did to them.
The message of hope that Mother Church doth bear
Is mixed with bitterness and fear
Fear for the trusting ones in cloistered hands,
Who through subterfuge,
Are annihilated by those very hands.
The message of love that Mother Church doth preach
Oft transforms itself into a carnal beast
Which bites and growls in spirited delight
As it wriggles its immoral self into unsuspecting lives.
The Church is weeping without restraint
Bemoaning the freewill
Through which her people have dodged kindness
To endorse the ills.
But, their tears will flow tomorrow
As they stand before themselves
Harnessed by a stoic conscience And forced to reap the consequence!
- Erica Brown Marriott
Seet deh again, it's blood!
Yuh look pon di news, it's blood!
TV itta a run wid blood!
Newspaper write up inna blood!
Dem seh di word is love
But the work is blood,
Boy 13 inna blood!
All di madda dem a scream, no love!
All di caring an di hug, dem a tugs
All the families a cry, man a die,
Caaw man nuh tek death from nuh guy.
When yuh tink it's peace, a more grief,
Man a fall pon di street like leaf
When tink it's calm, more storm,
In di middle a di night more gawn
Seet deh again, more death!
It deh-deh pon di news like heck!
Guy a sen death threat
Have girlfriend a fret
Man hear bout it anna step
Man a call man bluff have nedda man a puff,
Man steppin pon di cut wid machine gun up
See deh again more grief,
When yuh tink it's peace, zinc fence itta leak,
Itaa drip down red, mom a hol har head,
When you think a di end more dead
New names pon di fence
Cause one a tek him revenge
Numbers write pon di wall
Fi all di belly ache weh a gwaan!
If you look pon a man, iz blood!
If you walk like a dawg, graveyard!
Yeah one more name inna blood,
While di minister a shout fi di love
One more death have many a sweat,
New families a fret,
Some send death threat
A guy hear it anna step.
Seet deh again, more blood!
- Homer Sylvester
Devaluate me all you want.
Though I am disabled,
I never tell myself I can't.
I will show you what I can do,
I can do as much as you.
Devaluate me and I will embrace you,
No matter what you plan to do.
Do all what you want,
Because I am blessed,
And your action cannot cause me to stress.
I am so happy and stress free,
Serving the Lord is a part of my degree,
Do your best and do it now,
As long as to the Lord I made my vow.
Just do some more and don't you stop,
One day you will end up in the Lord's trap.
Why stop now,
Don't be afraid,
because your pay is already made.
Thank you very much,
I enjoy what you do,
I wish to God you could do something new,
What you did to me makes me so happy,
And that cannot break my Christianity.
- Richard Henry