M A K A T A
June 2001
Issue No.6
Revelation, revolution
I dreamed I was in Chile when they turned.
Beautiful were their eyes
black-bright. (But not for me.)
One woman held on me, a single barrel gun, tired, laughable,
she was a mother laughing, to her child.
Eyes of him, eyes of her, she winked, joked, her mouth was not cruel.
Her lips were wet.
Forty years was she or older?
But younger, younger, as the lips, as the loins, as the land.
Such greenness down the long lushness, valley then valley
verdant to the far sea.
How cruel in that context to ignore me.
(But that she did, and he, and they.)
I knew there was a reason that their eyes looked through me,
beautiful people.
(But the gun never took its eye away.)
I knew in that light nothing was juster than justice.
Can you hear a fife? A drum?
A whipping cracking sound of a new flag in the wind?
Rat-a tat-tat.
That’s gunfire, that.© John Kidd
Rose Bay Hobart, AustraliaHEALING FAITH
There are times when we are so confused
Lied on and even accused
Overwhelmed and abused
By the pains in our life
That we wish we could die with a gun or knife
No matter what we do
We are powerless to
Change things for the better or change a shoe
Not knowing where to start nor have a clue
The weight of the sadness
Seems too heavy to bear
The weight of the madness
Seems to follow you everywhere
God's powerful word is the prescription for gladnessGEOMETRY
A right angle is
God
A left angle is
Satan
A circle is
Unity
The radius is
LoveA TRIP TO HEAVEN
I'm going on a trip
That will take a lifetime
To get there
My destination is Heaven
That's where
I'm traveling to a higher plain
Taking one course, one path, one lane
My destination is a holy realm, a spiritual domain
Each day I am getting closer; each day I am growing near
I'm traveling first class; up front not in the rear
Shifting away from hindrances to a holy gear
Obeying God's covenants, commandments, ordinances; I journey; I pioneerTHE ULTIMATE MATHEMATICIAN
Throughout the bible there is mention
of marriage, taking on a spouse which is
ADDITION
Throughout the bible there is mention
of having kids, having children
being fruitful and
MULTIPLY
Throughout the bible there is mention
of peace, love, and harmony
of being united, being one
encouragement not to
DIVIDE
Throughout the bible there is mention
of death and destruction
people dying from war or disease which is
SUBTRACTION
Addition, multiplication, division, and subtraction
God is an awesome Mathematician
God is an expert, a specialist in actionHEAVENLY MATH
one plus one equals TWO
a divine relationship with God that's true
one plus one equals a PAIR
God gives me tender loving care
delivers me from anxiety and despair
finding a comforter such as he is rare
one plus one equals a DUAL
a connection with the Lord that's mutual
that is more than physical but spiritual
one plus one equals a COUPLE
a union that is metaphysical
that is priceless, that's a jewel
that gives me strength and energy, that give me fuel
that is delightful to the heart and soul, that makes me drool
one plus one equals a DUET
a bond that is perfect
a romance better than Romeo and Juliet
the best thing that's happened in my life yet
a daily encounter that I don't even regret
it can't get
any better than thisI DO MY HOMEWORK
The quotient of numerator and denominator is a spiritual high
I am the numerator
God is the common denominator
I am the "x"
God is the "y"
Whatever the fraction is I factor in GodAn Accountant working for the federal government, and a single female. I'm a poet. I have no kids and I love writing poetry. I also like editing. I have a BA in Finance and some graduate courses under my belt. My favorite color is red and my favorite foods are West Indian food and soul food. My favorite music is reggae. I was born in Washington D.C., but raised in Atlanta, GA.
MY GUIDING LIGHT
In the midst, in the darkness,
In my sleep, so faint and restless,
I feel the light upon my skin,
I see the light so faint and thin,
Guiding me along the way,
Helping me, to rise each day,
When I lose my way, and veer off track,
My light is there, helping me get right back,
On the road that I belong,
Deciding for me, what's right and wrong,
If I slip up, and make a mistake,
And I feel my heart begin to break,
All I do is hold my head high.Wake Up
They laugh,
They cry,
They scream,
They smile,
Oblivious it seems,
All the while,
I sit in silence, watching, listening,
Unnoticed, their innocence withering,
I do not speak, but let them be,
Even if I did, why would THEY listen to ME,
As they make their mistakes, and fail one by one,
Unaware of the outcome, just having foolish fun,
I have no compassion for the beings I see,
As of now they're unconscious of feelings other than glee,
One day they'll wakeup, and become aware,
That the party is over, and they must face the glares,
They will amount to NOTHING, in their pointless lives,
And can be proud of NOTHING, except that they've survived,
Were all those parties and all those drugs,
Worth future families, with kisses and hugs,
Worth a life of meaning, happiness and love,
Because in the end, when push comes to shove,
And they're lost and lonely in the dark and the cold,
They'll wish to God they'd taken a different road,
That they'd gone to class and applied themselves,
And possibly achieved a life filled with wealth,
That they had stopped just once to take in the beauty,
That surrounded them the years they neglected their duties,
But it's to late for them, so don't let it get you,
Be careful of the path you're on and the things you do,
Because before you know it the music will stop,
And you'll wake up, lonely, confused and lost,
Without a plan, or a clue as to what to do,
And forever wonder what could've become of you.The Word
One stormy night, in mid December,
A child was born, in front of glowing embers,
His parents embraced him, with kisses and hugs,
He had been born into a family filled with love,
But it takes more than love to have a good life,
It takes more than just love, it takes pain and strife,
This blessed child came to know these two words,
For his family was poor, and fine things they couldn't afford,
As soon as he could walk, his work had begun,
Forget all the toys, the cartoons and the fun,
For him there would be nothing, but labor and pun,
It was now up to him, this house he must run,
He watched both his parents, grow old beyond their years,
He watched his dear mother's eyes constantly fill with tears,
All responsibilities weighed heavily upon him,
This young child, who took it all with a grin,
As he grew older and life got more frantic,
He cringed every time he saw someone take life for granted,
He had few friends, and didn't like school,
But was always polite, and would never break the rules,
At night he'd go home, after his long day,
And sit down at the table, fold his hands and pray,
He continued to grow, and soon it was time to leave home,
He fell apart at the thought of leaving his parents alone,
How would they last without his love and care,
What if they forgot something, what if they didn't say their prayers,
He finally got the nerve, and left with a sad goodbye,
Waving farewell he couldn't help but let out a sigh,
He got to college and not much had changed,
His peers still seemed odd and deranged,
They were all so harsh, they still taunted him,
And he found it so hard to make friends,
But every night when he got home,
He would sit at his table all alone,
And aware of the happenings of that day,
He would fold his hands and pray,
More years went bye and life got better,
Until the day that his hopes were shattered,
He received the call out of the blue,
"I'm sorry sir, my condolences to you,"
His parents had passed, both of them together,
The cloud of death rolled by, as if part of the weather,
He returned home to bury them both,
Side by side the way they would've hoped,
As he stood there in the pouring rain,
In front of the casket, his heart filled with pain,
He realized now that he was all alone,
And that he had to return home,
That night he sat at his dinner table,
Remembering to himself his favorite childhood fable,
That his mother told him so long ago,
At the start of his life long road,
Thinking back to the events of the day,
He bowed his head and began to pray,
Years go by, and times are tough,
He's lost everything, there's no one left to love,
When one day he's walking along,
And sees a woman, being wronged,
He watches on as she's scorned by all,
He rushes to her side, and touches her face with his palm,
He gives her all the money on him,
And whispers softly, "I'm a friend,"
Without a word he quickly leaves,
Feeling good about his wonderful deed,
A few days go by, and he is broke,
He begins to wonder, is he the only kind folk,
One night he returns home, tired and weary,
It was cold, his hands were red as a cherry,
As he opened his door, he was shocked to find,
Food on the table, a feast for him to dine,
Next to the window he found a note,
All it said was a simple quote,
"You saw past my ragged facade,
And for that I give you the things for which you've prayed."
He looked around him and suddenly realized,
That he was surrounded by a strange bright light,
These were the words of his father, the Lord,
And this was the result of listening to his word.© Nikki Jones
I am 15 and I've been writing for about 5 years. I recently had two of my poems published in books and am currently writing a book. I am from 147 Travis St., Keller, TX 76248.
I Don't Want To
I will keep my silence
Coz I don’t want you to hear my voice cracking
I don’t want to whisper things that ring a bell
Coz now that I’m not that well
I don’t want to hold your hand
Coz I might miss its warmth
I don’t want us to be locked in an embrace
Coz I might stay forever
15May2001Ulan Mo
Pasilong naman sa ulan mong kay lakas
Di bale nang mabasa itong katawang nalalanta
Kesa malunod sa tagtuyot na nadarama
Ulan mong kay sigla, nakakapagtataka
Animo’y batang gustong magtampisaw
Sa piling mo diwa’y di magsasawa
Bakit nga ba sa tuwing uulan
Lihim mo’y pilit kong itinatatwa
Mahirap bang isiping tikatik mo’y ligaya?
Sana’y bubuhos pa, ulan mo
Huwag nang tigilan at ako’y nangangamba
Sa paglaho nito’y puso ko ang kasama
7May2001© Ronnie Ocate
One of the in-house poets of Makata. He is now starting his own website at www.geocities.com/katz649
SILENT ECHOES
As a child I cried silently;
Momma, please help me;
Daddy, don't go;
Someone please make it stop;
Please hear what I cannot say;
Please see what I cannot show;
Please please make him go;
Please tell him to stop;
Tell him its not fun;
Tell him I don't like it;
I'm just a child, not a woman;
Please don't let him steal my innocense;
As an adult I cry silently;
I'm sorry I was bad;
I'm sorry I let you down;
I always tried so hard;
But momma, daddy;
You never heard my silent cries;
God, you never heard my silent prayers;
Nobody ever made him stop;
Nobody made me better and nobody told me it was okay;
Nobody said its not my fault;
Nobody said I couldn't have done anything wrong;
Its not your fault either;
I know that now;
But the day it started, the very first time;
I died inside;
I became rancid and began to fade;
Now my vision is so cloudy I can't find my way home;
Please momma, please daddy, show me the way;
Kiss the old booboos;
Bandage the cuts;
Please heal my soul because I can't;
I can no longer reach the hurts, they are too far away;
Please God hear my silent prayer;
Please give me some peace;
Please fix for me in life that which I can only fix with death.© Wendy Gregory
I am a 34 year old mother of two. All of my poetry stems from personal experience and simple emotions. Writing is my release and part of my healing process. My home address is PO Box 354, Woodville, FL 32362.