Goodbye

It's time to say goodbye to 2018, and hello to 2019. So here's to my annual New Year's Day poem.

Clear skies and twinkling stars,
as a year of goodbyes comes to a close...
To my twenties, it was fun, now adios—
Au revoir to the friends and family
Now sleeping til that final day,
The people who have shaped me in every way.
Adieu creepy neighbor, addio broken apartment,
Adeus blank, empty, hollow walls...
The mirror lies—sayonara deceiving eyes.
Aloha 2018, a new year calls;
Aloha 2019, the new year calls

Jumping the Broom

They Were Told No

They were told no
Over and over
They were not allowed—
No, is a worthless answer
Given by a worthless cause
To someone perceived as worthless--

Laws were unjust
Legality held no merit
The system is broken--
And they were told no
Over and over
Regardless of the question...

But an earthly no
Is surpassed by a heavenly yes
And they refused to be broken--
No cannot stop love,
No cannot stop truth,
No did not stop the bonding of souls.

Image from Jumping the Broom Eliza, a company that makes custom brooms for wedding ceremonies.

The History of Jumping the Broom

The origin of jumping the broom is debated by some, but many will say was born of a wedding tradition in Ghana in which bridal brooms are waved over the couple's head after the ceremony. In the US, the tradition of jumping the broom began during slavery. During that time, slaves were not permitted to legally marry, thus jumping the broom was their way of announcing that they were married and starting a new life together.

Present day, many blacks (and even other cultures) continue this tradition by jumping the broom at the close of their wedding ceremony (or the beginning of the reception). Brooms may be ornately decorated or plain and simple. For many, continuing the tradition is a reminder of the hardships our ancestors endured and symbolic of overcoming those hardships. Others choose not to include the tradition in their ceremony. The 2011 movie Jumping the Broom, named after the tradition, features the showdown between a bride who does not want to jump the broom and a mother-in-law who insists the couple should.

References

1. Ka-Veronica Braddy. "Here's our take on 'Jumping the Broom'". African American Bridal; visited 2014
2. "Here's the tangled history behind why some couples jump over a broom at their wedding". Insider. April 2017
3. Rachel Wilkerson Miller. "24 Couples Who Honored Their Heritage and Jumped the Broom". BuzzFeed. February 20, 2015
4. Chelsey Pippin. "Wedding Traditions From Around the Globe". Buzzfeed. November 4, 2014

25 to Life

26 years later, changes subtle to me--

The creeping of age on the body and mind

While lessons of life play out continually...

Although I can't always feel the effect of time

I feel wisdom grow like branches of a tree

Twisting from the detours to which I'm inclined.

Perhaps I'll live to see 26 more

Touching the skies from the branches I explore.

Echo of the Firework

Staring out the window

Out into the city lights,

Watching the colors burst

Higher, in the black of the night--

Bright sparkles falling fast,

Each chemical burns bright, 

But the colors, they can't last

They're bound to disappear

Bound to fade away

And all that's left is the memory,

The echo of explosions past,

It was beautiful for a minute

Even if it was never meant to last.

I don't know if these are real or not, but I'd pay big money to see this live 😁

When Spring Comes

My dearest Spring,
I've missed you these past few months
Felt your absence in the chill
Of Winter's unfriendly embrace
And longed for your return...
Time passes slowly when you're gone
With unsightly views obscuring
Precious memories of you ripped away
By the season of death and despair.
Oh, how I missed your color
Your bright beauty bequeathed to me
Beneath beautiful blue skies
And warm weather trends.
I was starting to think
You had abandoned me,
Left me, with no intent of return
But I would mourn you forever
     Pollen and all--
I cannot live without you,
You are my season
My rock,
My sanity,
My heart,
And my joy.

Celebration

Sound crusading out of a wave

Clearing the path--leading...

Bursts of light, 

Fire falling and sparkling

Shimmering dreams

Innocence of a star's baby

Captured and paraded

In pomp and fanfare

Against the black sky

Obstructing the star's themselves

If for only a moment.

Wings

Think happy thoughts

And fly...

Simple simplicity

Push off and stretch

It hurts now,

The stretching of muscle

Reshaping of strength,

Battering of wind...

But rise high above this

And it disappears

Forgotten below

Little dots of

Hardships and pain

Anchored to the core

Tormenting the unfreed.

Exhale

Take a deep breath
Close your eyes
And everything fades—
Bright and glowing sunlight
Hiding imperfections
Making new and beautiful
Quiet beauty,
Warm and still
Fill up your lungs
Taste its rich sweetness
Cast your problems out
Watch them wriggle
Writhe,
In jaws of perfection 

And exhale.