Tag: poetic

Cry Out

Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash

How does it make you feel

to see someone

mistreating themselves

to hear them poison their mouth

with self-hate language

or disrespect their soul

with insecurities

does not your intestines cringe

do they not wrap themselves around the wrongness there

the diseased spirit of a person defeated

does not your stomach turn into knots

does not the human in you cry out

now imagine

if you were outside your own body

and observing yourself

poisoning your mouth with self-hate language

and disrespecting your soul with insecurities

do your intestines cringe?

do they wrap themselves around the wrongness there?

do you recognize the diseased spirit of a person defeated?

does your stomach turn into knots?

when you are self-hating yourself

does the human in you

Cry Out

It’s National Poetry Month!!

 

Grab your copy of I am Soul for just 99cents in ebook for the entire month of April.  Want a paperback? The Nubian bookstore signing is next week! (4/12) Be sure to stop by for a signed paperback copy and save on shipping. Meet me in person and let’s take pictures and stuff!

https://www.yecheilyahysrayl.com/

Introduce Yourself Author Interviews: Poetry Edition

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Author Interview programming for this special announcement.

National Poetry Month, a celebration of poetry which takes place each April, was introduced in 1996 and is organized by the Academy of American Poets as a way to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in the U.S. For our April Author Interviews, I’d like to feature as many author poets as possible. If you have not been interviewed on the blog, head on over to the Introduce Yourself Author Interview page (linked below) and find out how you can get involved! Stay tuned for next weeks final author introduction for March.

*All authors are still welcomed to participate in the interviews. These interviews occur every week on Monday’s. You don’t have to be a poet. I would just like to feature poets for the month of April in honor of National Poetry Month.

>> LEARN HOW TO JOIN. CLICK HERE <<

 

Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews: The Unveiling by Camille A. Frazer

Title: The Unveiling
Author: Camille A Frazer
Pages: 132
Publisher: Frazer Mill Publishing (December 12, 2017)
ISBN-10: 0999523007
ISBN-13: 978-0999523001

The Unveiling is a powerful poetry collection from debut author and poet Camille Frazer. She divides her poetry into sections. The first encourages the perception of a bigger picture and lessens the emphasis on the individual. The division between the individual and society is examined in the second. She asserts that violence has crept in during these crisis times.

The poems cover a wide range of issues on the human condition. We gain knowledge of things like faith, hope, love, and beauty. The poems are beautiful and powerful, making you want to reread them for a deeper meaning and time for introspection.

This is definitely not a book that you can skim through. Camille A. Frazer has seen suffering and tragedy during her work as a children’s advocate. Though as she shows in this refreshingly optimistic new poetry collection, tragedy does not have to define us. Through her poems, Frazer examines humanity’s current direction and illustrates each individual life’s importance.

Her poetry shows a steadfast belief in the possibility of a better world in the future. Every person has a purpose, according to Ms. Frazer, and is capable of kindness, contentment, and forming enduring relationships. She desires that you would be motivated by her work to discover your own gifts and then spread them to others.

The only thing stopping this from being a five-star is that the cover doesn’t do it justice.

Rating:

Lyrical Factor: 4/5
Presentation: 4/5
Thought-Provoking: 5/5
Authenticity / Believable: 5/5
Overall: 4.5 / 5

The Unveiling is available on Amazon.

Camille is also one of our featured authors. If you missed her Introduce Yourself interview, CLICK HERE.

Courage

How dramatic the transformation is when I turn lioness
how dangerous courage is
how beautiful too
how tingly the feeling when you throw caution to the wind
when an introvert speaks
you know that little mustard seed’s got a fire
how revolutionary to be humble in spirit,
but courageous in character.
The weight of this bravery
both heavy and powerful
how sensitive and warrior I am at the same time.
How powerful strength is
when you don’t know that it is there.

Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews: /’NAKEED/: a bare soul by Shequila Knighten

Title: /’NAKEED/:…a bare soul

Author: Shequila Knighten

Genre: Poetry

Published: November 1, 2018

ASIN: B07K3YDKS9

Pages: 111

A remarkable poet, Shequila Knighten’s collection of love poems, /NAKEED/: a bare soul, chronicles her quest to find her true self. When you first read these poems, you might incorrectly believe that they are mostly about a woman’s relationship with a guy, but as you keep reading, you’ll see that there is much more to them than that. Although there is romance, these poems are really about a woman’s love for herself and her path to recovery from heartbreak, sadness, and uncertainties. These beautifully written poems and Shequila’s lyrics are sophisticated, powerful, and motivating.

“He had a voice smooth as a saxophone…”

“they say time heals all wounds…I think my watch died…”

“insecurity established a deep-rooted self-hate growing in my womb…”

I am hoping Shequila will consider entering my next poetry contest! We will see. In the meantime, be sure to pick up your copy of /NAKEED/ which is just 99cents on Amazon!

Lyrical Factor: 5/5

Thought Provoking: 5/5

Authenticity / Believable: 5/5

Overall: 5/5

/NAKEED/: a Bare Soul is available now on Amazon. Click Here.

About Shequila Knighten

Shequila is a writer of poetry and inspirational blogger. She became a writer after growing up with the constant fear of people not understanding her speaking what’s on her mind, so writing became her outlet. Starting with poetry, she released her first book of poems, /’NAKEED/.  She now lives by the motto, ”if you can’t speak it, write it; your point will still be heard.” Shequila currently resides in Southwest Florida with her three children.

Want me to review your book on this blog? Learn how HERE.

Grief

 

it came in waves today

grief did

the sound of Yolanda Adams opening her heart

did it

I was wrong to listen

her voice was a gun

her lyrics, a trigger

me, the victim

she was thunder

my tears

rain

Yolanda knows I can’t listen to that song

it hoola hooped on the radio in ’99

the year we lived with him

and I combed my Barbie’s hair to her voice

as my Dad’s memory rode on the backs of those lyrics

a warrior

the knight and shining armor

of my adolescents

invisible crown on his head

he is bald now

cancer ate away his hair

and I rubbed Witch Hazel on his foot

I kissed his forehead

I am thirteen again and my heart is inexperienced

I am not ready for the lightening on its way to me

My hands are too small to hold the weight of what’s about to happen

“What if I choose the wrong thing to do?”

she sings

and in my warrior walks

the cab driver in nice suits

his words are “hip” like his style and his commandments

“don’t sleep ready rose,” meaning,

“don’t sleep in your outside clothes”

“I feel so lost, I don’t know what to do,”

in he walks

tight-roping Yolanda’s lyrics

In those sharp suits

riding on the back of my preteen memories

and I curl my small fingers into a fist

and fit them inside the center of my Dad’s palm

the way we used to do

the way his hand covered my entire fist

the way he’s tight-roping on my heart strings

the way memory crawled its way into my throat this morning

“I just need to hear one word from you,” 

Yolanda’s voice penetrates the clouds

the thunder growls

the lightning strikes

and I am thirteen again and the year is 2000

the final moan of a passing storm

and James walks out of the door

his name planting kisses on my forehead

and anointing my eyes

with grief

YouTube: New Poem Added! Listen to “Cheap” #Poetry #SpokenWord

This started out as something I wrote for myself. It wasn’t necessarily a poem. But I decided to turn it into something for you as well. I rewrote it in third person instead of first person. Do not be cheap with yourself. Know your worth. Know your value. Be you. Love you.