Greatness

Greatness

I’ve been in the presence of greatness.
Not the Greatness I find in my college textbooks
my childhood fairy tales, or on the history channel
I’ve been in the presence of greatness on street corners,
at dinner tables, in supermarkets, and standing at the bus stops
The greatness we never stop to think about, or acknowledge
The greatness we leave out of our newscast,broadcast, and book reports
Real Greatness

My cousin was 19 when an infection no one had ever heard of
stole her leg 2 fingers and almost her life
but it did not steal her Joy.
They told her she may never walk again, she may not survive
She now stands .
Stands in front of hundreds of high school students a year
and talks about menigialcozeima and the most horrible moments of her life,
again and again with a smile on her face
in hopes that it may save one person.

I have Been in the presence of greatness
my little sister who can be so shy it hurts to speak
the same girl who does not hesitate to yell at the bully teasing the kid with the rolly backpack

I Have been in the presence of greatness
the teacher who taught me
why it’s important to care about someone
a thousand miles away who’s face looked nothing like my reflection.

I have been in the presence of greatness
the old lady who slipt me 50 cents last week
when I was short buying a cup of coffee

I have been in the presence of greatness
J.P came to my school from haiti in the 9th grade
the only english word she knew was hello
by my junior year she was getting better grades then me in advanced lit

I have been in the presence of greatness
After years of keeping it secret
the strongest woman I know was brave enough
to talk about the one thing that made her feel weak
because she knew it was the right thing to do
for her sisters her nieces her daughters and herself

I have been in the presence of greatness
a friends father who ran back into the towers to save one last person
but couldn't save himself

I have been in the presence of greatness
My grandmas who’s arthritis is so bad it makes tying her own shoes
difficult still manages to knit the stocking and christmas time

I have been in the presence of greatness
her mom was a hooker, her dad was in a gang
and they were both addicted to heroine
child abuse, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and four foster homes later
She went to college on an academic scholarship

I have been in the presence of greatness
Not entertainment weekly, new york times branjolina greatness.
Real Greatness

It’s time to start recognizing the greatness that surrounds us
the greatness that belongs on the
nightly news, in barns and noble and in our hearts.


I have been in the presence of greatness
more greatness then can ever fit on a page, on a hundred pages in a single poem

Bliss

Bliss.

I’ve heard ignorance is bliss,
but I’m of the opinion
that it depends what side of ignorance you stand on

I’ve heard that ignorance is bliss...
Ignorance is oppression.
the reason for slavery, sexism,racism, and war
Is war bliss?

I’ve heard ignorance is bliss
Ignorance is weakness.
It allows Adolf hitlers, Joseph Koneys, and Kimjanils
to exist.

I’ve heard ignorance is bliss.
But, Ignorance is destruction.
it’s societal corruption.
it made the towers fall, the berlin wall, and global warming

Ignorance is stupidity.
it allows us to believe that .1% of DNA that determines race determines moral fiber.
Ignorance is fear.
the fear that built internment camps, religion wars, and the trail of tears.
Ignorance is confusion
lt allows us to believe that homo and hetero can’t both define marriage.
Ignorance is anger
the blood of baby faced boys on the pavement over different colored t-shirts?
Ignorance is a disconnect
a disconnect that allows us to believe that the genocide in Darfur is a Sudanese problem rather a human one and there for we should stay out of it.
Ignorance is conceit
we convince ourselves, that the animals, the planet, and our foreign neighbors feel less then we do
Ignorance is a choice.
we choose not to use our pens our action our voice.

Ignorence is disgraceful.

I’ve heard that ignorance is bliss,
maybe they meant laziness is bliss.

We say it’s not our problem.

The action of choosing in action was simply easier.

Easier to do, or should I say not to do
But is it easier to live with?

To know that somethings wrong and we did nothing to change it?
are we better then the murders we watch on tv?
Are we better then the oppressors, dictators humanity haters that we allow to progress?
Are we better then the kidnapper,war lord,villains we choose to ignore?
Or are we their weapon of choice?
Are we the shackles that bind the child soldiers?
Are voting no to gay marriage, just by keeping quite?
Are we the brothels that hold the girls barley old enough to ride a bike?
Are we the holes in the ozone layer?

See the action of in action, is the real ignorance.

If ignorance is bliss, I choose to remain bliss-less.

Keep Your Pants ON.

A Lubna Ahmed Al Hussein, a female journalist in Sudan, is being charged with wearing... pants, yes pants. She could have received a possible 40 lashes. 10 other women arrested the same day as her received lashes, and fines. At the time she was charged with the "CRIME?" she was working for the united nations. Because the U.N is a peace keeping force she would be exempt for the charges. Hussein decided that she would proceed, and be charged with the crime. The court decided (probably because of the massive coverage of the case) to revoke any charge of lashings and force her to pay a fine. She refused to pay the fine which would equal around $200 american dollars. She believes that the law is unjust, and is willing to serve whatever time in jail they sentence her to. Sudan follows strict sharia law, which would demand that women wear skirts. Such a a ridiculous law seems unimaginable. Sudanese government has had no problem ignoring the thousands of lives currently being lost in Darfur, but women wearing pants is an outrage! Sudan is clearly messed up. Despite what "sharia laws" say, women are entitled to choice. And as for Ms. Hussein. YOU GO GIRL.


Read More>http://abcnews.go.com/International/sudans-lubna-hussein-convicted-wearing-trousers/story?id=8508383

For the love of money

Lonely, but not empty was the life she lead
Never thought her heart only her head
Money was the medium in which she defined
The value of her thoughts and worth of her time

She focused her gaze on business towers
Never stopping to smell or notice the flowers
She trampled on and over all those who were
the ones who cared, loved, and made her

She was no longer the girl that they all knew
The question was now how much?
Not who.
Measuring success in money acquired
Selling her heart to the highest buyer

She adorned her self in ribbons and bows
With fancy shoes and designer clothes
She had all the best that money could buy
But still felt empty and didn’t know why

Every time she woke up feeling this way
She thought it would get better on pay day
Cause money was her life money was her love
More important than people or god above

To fill the emptiness that was her heart
She flooded her mansion with music and art
To fill the hole that was her soul
She inundated her purse with money rolls
To fill the spot where her friends once stood
She bought a Ferrari and hope it would


One day she woke up and felt unwell
She had no one to call, no one to tell
She lost all those who would have cared
Would any one notice if she wasn’t there?

Soon her heart beat heavy and slow
So she reached for the love she used to know
Hand met by the emptiness she created
All the things she once loved now hated

She gasped to take her final breath
Finding that her life was really her death
Knowing that love could have changed her fate
She closed her eyes, it was too late

Where the Daises Grew

Through the grass they would run
Sing in the wind, dance in the sun
Where the daises grew

They danced and tumbled
Till the sky rumbled
Where the daisies grew

Discovered and learned
and swore to return
To where the daisies grew

Each day like the other
They became brothers
Where the daisies grew

But, time did pass
And they changed fast
So did, where the daises grew

Young no more
Flowers lost there lore
Where the daises grew

They swore that they would someday see
Who they both had grow to be
Where the daises grew

Soon, Tanks rolled over their sacred place
Air thick with soot taste
Where the daises once grew

A little boy was now a man
Fire in heart and gun in hand
Where the daisies once grew

Prepared to conquer all those in his way
This, would be the judgement day
Where the daisies once grew

He pulled the trigger to spill the blood
The enemies body dropped to the mud
Where daises once grew

Now, His heart it would pound
When he saw the face lying on the ground
where the daisies once grew

A face he had seen
In a distance dream
Where the daisies once grew

This face he knew
For they were two
Where the daises once grew

Stepping back to take a breath
This killing would be his own death
Where the daises once grew

Beneath his boot lie a familiar sight
That he had missed through the fight
Where the daises once grew

It was a daisy once known so well
As his heart stopped his gun fell
The daises were not dead.

Boy.

Proud parents of a baby boy
A gurgling, giggling baby boy.
Mommy’s laugh and daddy’s nose
Beautiful eyes and tiny toes
Quickly they watched their little one grow
Barley ever let him go

First day of school quickly came by
Daddy paced as mommy tried not to cry
Sent him to school with books and pens
Daddy watched through the camera lens
Their little boy waved and smiled that smile
Promised mommy to be back in just a little while

Proud parents of a teenage boy
A shy, confused teenage boy
Left for school with a quick good bye
Mommy watched and tried not to cry
She no longer recognized his changed face
The smile once there was now replaced

Life wasn’t easy for her little one
He wasn’t what Daddy expected from a son.
He didn’t play ball, he just wanted to dance
He knew daddy would understand if he gave it a chance
He wasn’t good at golf, He didn’t play soccer
No girls in bikinis hung in his locker

He knew he was different
But what could he say
He knew daddy would never love him that way.

No longer proud parents of a teenage boy
A homosexual teenage boy
Who he was they could not accept
They said it was a secret that must be kept

Force to hide his identify
Forced to present him self falsely
His heart grew heavy with despair
He felt as if no one cared

All alone each day he wold try
He got real good at living his lie
Joined football, and asked a girl to prom
But in his head he knew it felt wrong

One day the pain was too much to take
His happiness he could no longer fake
How he longed for Daddy’s long lost love
Just a smile Maybe a hug
The truth is it could never be
He knew his Daddy would never see

A teenage boy out on his own
New he must face the world alone
All the pain he could not bear
He new daddy’s gun was just up the stairs
He turned the knob to the closet door
He wouldn’t live his lie anymore...

Once parents of a baby boy
A good, kind teenage boy
Daddy mourned as mommy cried
They knew this would be the last goodbye
So they said their prayers and and let him go
Who he’d be they’ll never know.

Beauty...

*An older one I never posted, let me know what you think!

Beauty

They told her that beauty
Was a smile so bright
They told her that beauty
Was hair long and light
They told her beauty was
The bluest of eyes
They told her that beauty
Was a bra size
They told her that beauty
Was a waist so small
And she found that their beauty
Didn’t look like her at all.


Quickly thick makeup came to replace
The freckles that once covered her face
She paint her nails and dyed her hair
Hoping that beauty would find her there
Her once curved body quickly grew frail
She now believed it ugly that her skin was pale
She thought high heels and mini skirts
Maybe the answer to making it work



Each night she prays to be the women she’s seen
On TV and in the magazine
Why wont beauty find her now,
She wants it so bad, and doesn't know how
To be as beautiful as she dreams
Maybe beauty isn't what it seems...


Maybe beauty isn’t what we’ve been told
Maybe it can’t be bought, bottled or sold

Maybe it’s not the size of your breasts,
Maybe it’s the heart that beats in your chests
Maybe it’s not the color of your hair
Maybe it’s the brain that sits under there
Maybe it’s words instead of lips
Maybe it’s actions instead of hips....

All along for aesthetic beauty she thirst
And that false image changed her for the worst
It was too late and she never discovered
That beauty is not found in the eyes of another
The truth is beauty was there all along
She just had the definition all wrong
She was forced to pay the highest toll
In destroying her temple and forgetting her soul