Paradise Regained
I was born in paradise
Tropical paradise
From slave stock
Bred to work hard and die
My friends were old
Grandmothers
Great-grandmothers
Great-grandfathers
I used to sit with papa
While he smoked his pipe
Learn to read he said
Then no one will take advantage
Old ladies at a wake
Grinding coffee the old way
Never let a man take advantage
Do whatever work you find
I grew up
Strong
Defiant
Hard working
Paradise seems lost,
I read better than most
I work harder than most
I am defiant
“HOW DARE YOU”
The world screams
Know your place
It proclaims
How dare I be the strong woman
That I was raised to be
How dare I live alone
With no man to protect me
How dare I
Work so hard
Support myself
Live independently
Paradise seemed lost
The day her attacked her
97 and living independently
97 and still working as hard as she can
How dare she
Not be old and feeble
How dare she
Cook and clean and weave
How dare she
Live alone
With only locks to protect her
97 and strong
DARE! I say
Survive
Thrive
Be strong!
[…] years ago when I was a young yoga teacher. When I listened to my heart I would be inspired to write poetry. I shared some of these poems on my blog but many of them I haven’t shared before. I put all […]