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aslisjournal · 1 year

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Before I start I’ll say I have a lot of flaws A couple of fears, And some deep rooted issues But there’s this dream that I have One that I fall asleep to every night One that’s so deeply woven in my heart I don’t care if I’m inadequate

I don’t care if I’m not enough A life with out my art I lived it, I can’t fathom it It’s like I’m walking around with two weights on top of my heart And that’s not exaggerate I have to reach the life of my dreams By any means Even if I have to fight the earth Cause I’m only here this one time And I probably lived more than half of it So even if the earth decides I’m not enough And raises the standard above the clouds Above my reach Then I’ll go the longest route I’ll build day by day I’ll scavenge for pieces Finding new ways And if along the way I spill it all Fall on my face Even If the earth decides to laugh I’ll start again from scratch The reality is I’m not gonna stop So if we got to go back and forth then so be it It’ll be that way with me until the curtains close And when I die And the earth swallows me whole It will say this one...this one put up a fight I will leave on it a scar or two And when it is asked about it It will tell the story of a girl With too much heart Too much grit Too much love I promise you It will tell the stars and echo into the universe The story of our fight

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chrisevansmentee · 1 year

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we all dream of conquering time, so the knees may not grow sore with earth pleading, so death may be put to shame and into the shade. But time and death are what dreams are made of, banging at the very doors of the day-night eye. ~Titus chukwuemeka Nwosu.

#african poets #black poets

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deadassdiaspore · 1 year

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#Adekeye Adebajo #African writers #African poets #Pan Africanism

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heartsoundslikelove · 26 days

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ANNOUNCEMENT! The Fragments of my mind - the delicate lines to this place and time, is now available

For those seeking poetry that resonates with thoughtful individuals, poetry enthusiasts, children, educational institutions, and humanity at large, “The Fragments of My Mind: The Delicate Lines to This Place and Time” by Steve Anc is an excellent starting point. This anthology encompasses themes of hope, despair, love, self-care, power, fame, war, peace, and death. It showcases the allure of…

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#african poets #new release #poetry #poetry book

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iambrillyant · 3 months

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“your gut instinct is not a liar, those initial feelings exist for a reason, sit on them if you need to, process whether your feelings are valid or just projections, but never dismiss your intuition when the signs are staring you in the face and your nervous system is agreeing.”

— iambrillyant

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alphabetsoup-blogposts · 1 year

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Looking at the girl I love, A slim girl of the bright East, A small light of my life, I can feel the weight of the stars Bobbing on the empty palms of my hands; I can feel the surge of tides On the shores of the sea in my heart, (Come! The world becomes mine.) The moon pulls at my wax heart, Whose wick of honeyed love, Burns resplendent love out to a swooning world With a flame, red with the sun’s best blood.

...

LOOKING AT THE GIRL I LOVE Njabulo S Ndebele

#poems #poem #poetry #poet #African poets #love poetry #South Africa #Njabulo Ndebele

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yumesoraa · 1 year

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Poetry: Melody of Being Animate

Its Spring time again. | 7.11.22 When I close my eyes, I ask us about the pillars we have held in our life, against the dark blue skies and thirty-three moons I am met with so much majesty, I close my eyes —again—. I can see now that we have come here to teach me about how my longing has to always be at our states of peace beck and call, that when our embodiment is of the lights we care to see…

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#african poets #international artist #Kenyan #kenyan artist #kenyan author #kenyan blogger #kenyan creative #kenyan writer #poetry #poetry comminity

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maria-eleyi-igoche · 2 years

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THE TRAVAILS OF A NIGERIAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITY LECTURER

Every night for 8 months I cried a thousand tears

What was my sin you say?

wait I'll tell you.

Every morning I watched the journalists on AIT, CHANNELS AND TVC analyse my case on the newspaper review segment, urging the APC led government to look into my plight.......are they even listening?

Wait I'll tell you.

Every day we ate what seemingly looked like the last morsel of food in our pantry, day turned to night, night turned to day. We moved from 3 square meals to 2 square meals, every meal we ate turned slowly with a prayer on our lips. Why you may ask? Wait I'll tell you.

Slowly the new school year of our kids started, books to buy! Uniforms to sew! Back to school items to purchase! The more the D day drew near, the more we increased our prayers to the creator. Why you may ask? Wait I'll tell you.

Our landlords have come again! Of all tenants they could have the misfortune of accommodating! Why you ask? Oh I'll most definitely tell you.

Did I mention people no longer pick our calls? That only family cares to call and check up? That in-laws have shifted loyalties? What sin did I commit that can be so grave you say? Hmmm please be patient with me, I'll tell you.

Some came over and they ask why on earth didn't you study to be a lawyer or a doctor or an accountant. If you had studied a professional course you wouldn't be in this predicament!!!!!

At this point allow me to take a deep breath and resist the urge to scream into the wind!!!

I am a Nigerian Public University Lecturer; there now you have your answer!!!!

That's my Sin!

I chose the noblest profession with the highest level of disregard in my country.

I chose to teach out of all the career paths available for me.

My family and I are going through this process of dehumanisation because my union dared to challenge the powers that be to do what is right by the public universities.

Their Weapon of Punishment was to deny us 9 months of pay, while they stuffed their faces with our plight and gave themselves national honour for successfully punishing the academia.

THEY LIE! WE ARE DOWN BUT NOT OUT

WE HAVE BEEN SHAMED BUT NOT BROKEN

We will rise like a phoenix from our ashes and continue to inspire the generation to come.

So yes I cry today so the next generation can laugh and soar with pride.

We won!!!!

Maria Okwoli Igoche

October 18th 2022

#poet #poetry #lecturer #university #Nigeria #2022 #university of Jos #African #African poets

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thefugitivesaint · 1 year

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Nikki Giovanni, 'Allowables', ''Chasing Utopia'', 2013 Source

#nikki giovanni #Yolande Cornelia Giovanni Jr.#american poets #african-american poets #allowables #chasing utopia #poetry #police brutality

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yourdailyqueer · 2 months

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Zuriel Hooks

Gender: Transgender woman

Sexuality: Queer

DOB: N/A

Ethnicity: African American

Occupation: Activist, model, poet, writer

#Zuriel Hooks #black excellence #queerness #lgbt #transfemme #transgender #trans woman #queer #black #african american #poc #model #poet #writer #activist

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pagansphinx · 2 months

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Black History Month

Maya Angelou (American, 1928-2014)

Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

I'm not cute or built to suit

a fashion model's size

But when I start to tell them,

They think I'm telling lies.

I say,

It's in the reach of my arms

The span of my hips,

The stride of my step,

The curl of my lips.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

I walk into a room

Just as cool as you please,

And to a man,

The fellows stand or

Fall down on their knees

Then they swarm around me,

A hive of honey bees.

I say,

It's the fire in my eyes,

And the flash of my teeth,

The swing in my waist,

And the joy in my feet.

I'm a woma

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Men themselves have wondered

What they see in me.

They try so much

But they can't touch

My inner mystery.

When I try to show them

They say they still can't see.

I say,

It's in the arch of my back,

The sun of my smile,

The ride of my breasts,

The grace of my style.

I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

Now you understand

Just why my head's not bowed.

I don't shout or jump about

Or have to talk real loud.

When you see me passing

It ought to make you proud.

I say,

It's in the click of my heels,

The bend of my hair,

the palm of my hand,

The need of my care,

'Cause I'm a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That's me.

#american women #maya anjelou #poet #essayist #black woman wrirer #american writer #african american woman of letters #poetry #contemporary poetry #american poetry #still i rise

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aslisjournal · 2 years

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We don’t have the luxury of letting go of our dreams:

-the hunger isn’t always felt by us but by families -it’s tied to heart and spilled onto every gene, the fabric of the being -without it there’s no hope in rebuilding, the foundation of a country

Asli Hersi

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chrisevansmentee · 8 months

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JUDITH

Today I met a man.

He had the most beautiful brown eyes.

A bright smile and my sense of humor.

I made him laugh.

It felt good.

What didn't feel good was the fact that he liked me.

He said I was jovial.

He wanted my number.

I freaked out

I didn't want to meet new people.

He asked for my name.

I told him the name I'd been recycling in my head, the one I saw on my friend's door.

I said "Judith"

He smiled at me, I saw the way he looked at me, he'd found love.

I'd found another burden.

I met a man, I made him blush.

I wanted to run away from the consequences of this blessed curse.

This curse of being jovial at all moments even when it's not needed, sure I've put a smile on a face but that's it.

That's all I am...the blue pill.

Right now I'm at this point where I don't want to meet new people.

I'm sorting through the old ones like the clutter in my room, I'll put away the ones I don't need...

I am fond of picking things that don't benefit me.

Beads, needles, rubber bands, pen covers, bottle caps, broken hearts, emergency calls, sadness, hard and tough emotions, strong ropes, other people's business, manipulative people.

So when I sort through all those people and I'm done, I'll move with the people that remain.... That is if they do.

Everyone thinks I'm happy.

I don't know what to say to them.

All I know is I'm learning...

I'm learning to love myself, to know that not everyone is as bad as my mind paints them.

I can't tell them how bad I want to scream at night, I can't, they won't understand.

They don't know how I lick my wounds clean every night.

How I pray to God that someone calls to ask how I am.

How I hold back tears even when I spread joy and laughter.

But that's not the point of all these words I'd written above.

It's just that I met a man today and it scared me.

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deadassdiaspore · 1 year

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#Osman Yusuf Kenadid #African history #Somali #African poets #African languages #Islamic history

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heartsoundslikelove · 26 days

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ANNOUNCEMENT! The Beauty of Words by Elizabeth O. Ogunmodede is Now Available

Explore the mesmerizing realm of poetry with Elizabeth O. Ogunmodede’s “The Beauty of Words: A Poetry Collection.” This compelling compilation navigates the complex web of human emotions, addressing themes from nature’s majestic beauty to societal intricacies, from treasured recollections to profound sorrow, and from fanciful daydreams to the comforting embrace of friendship and kinship. Each…

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#africa #african poets #new release #poetry #young adult poet

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iambrillyant · 6 months

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“honor the friendships that allow you to pick up from where you last left off, regardless of how long it’s been since you connected. the friendships that survive hiatuses, silences and space. those are the connections that never die.”

— iambrillyant

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