I used to be afraid

Chavenne, Painted Ladies

I used to be afraid of what's in the dark, dark places

But now I no longer fear because I can see the light

I used to be afraid of growing up

But now I have learned to accept who I am, a growing woman

I used to be afraid of myself, of what harm I am capable of doing

But now I know I can do good things

I used to be afraid of knowing too much

But now I know that knowledge is the key to life

But now I'm afraid of the struggles that may lie ahead of me

I Am -

Sashanna, Blue Morphos

I am an eagle,

when I spread my wings

you can feel the wind & air around you.

I am 19,

that's the age when I really started understanding

myself, life, people.

I am a beautiful, strong, intelligent, intellectual,

black woman.

I am sugar cane,

the sweetness never goes away

no matter how much you chew.

I am Detroit, Michigan,

the place where my kids were conceived & born.

I am a video camera,

I am watching your every move.

I am autumn,

I am all the different colour leaves

all over the ground.

I am Nov. 19, 1999

the day two people who was in love was joined together

to spend and start a new life.

Woman in Transition

Santana, Royal Blue Pansies

My skin was once frail and fragile
Youth ran through every vein of my being
Stubborn, hard of hearing, ginale and agile
Sat up right, played just right, looking without seeing

My skin became wounded and scabbed
Blood spewed forrth from within my veins
Mislead by my ID wanting, so I tugged and grabbed
Fulfilled by nature, peeked ahead and seen my gains
Still quite young and lost inside my inner being
I crawled up tight, played just right, still looking without seeing

As time went on I busted breasts
My thighs becamed enlarged
and in it's place were hips
No strut finer with my high raised chest
and words I spoke so soft and danced off my lips
Young indeed I was, no longer lost, but mislead of my true being
I walked up tight, continued playing just right, always looking without seeing

Stepping forth into life and helping to create life
I brought into existance my son
Embarking on new possibilities I ignored the prospects of strife
and playing was no longer fun
No more was it a struggle to move my limbs, but a constant struggle to continue moving
Every obsticle stood 10ft tall, a football field wide
and relentlessly consuming
No more a baby or a child, but a young woman raising a child
My loose and irresponsible days of running rampant and wild vanished
and in it's place left days filled with warm moments, tender and mild
you see, babys have a way of sparking ephinanies and bringing out truth
Still quite young, no more was I uneducated of my youth or mislead by my inner being
I now stood tall, confident not to fall
I looked ahead and began seeing
Breaking through my cacoon and fluttering my wings I became un-content with being a butterfly
Fly.. fly high, soar and glide like the bird
I am not just a woman in transition
I'm a WOMAN MOVING FORWARD!

Untitled

Rachelle, Azure Queens

Strong willed and charismatic,

A hush falls upon my approach.

Focus and determination runs deep and true within.

Bursting, eager and enthused, as my wings drip dry and unfurl,

I leap off this precarious precipice, venturing into the untamed,

awashed with the still wet paint of my hopes and dreams.

Faith

Jeunelle, Blue Morphos

I believe in God and giving my kids a good life

I believe that I will get a good full time job one day

I believe my kids will grow up to be lawyers

I believe that I will win the lottery one day

I believe in faith

Untitled

Rachelle, Azure Queens

Words drip from your lips like a pure bead of honey.

Look closer, maggots, see them?

Wriggling, seeking fuel for their growth,

just like those little rice grain lies that you think I believe.

Notice their transparency?

All they do is take, take, take nourishment, and grow big and fat.

Soon, your lies take on the demeanor of a separate entitiy.

They can stand on their own.

Alas, there they stand, all alone, because this time?

Baby, I'm gone...