Well Done

It’s Hard to Let You Go

In spite of all we know,

It’s still hard to let you go

Tho we know you are in a better place,

Tis a bitter sweet sorrow we face

There is so much about you we will miss,

Without you everything will seem amiss.

This is so hard to do,

Oh so hard to do.

Ask me if I have any regrets,

And I’ll say yes every time

I didn’t know we were running out of time.

There is nothing we can say,

Nothing we can do now that we have lost you.

We can ask, Lord why?

As we cry, but any tears we cry

Are wasted tears

Cause you’re not here.

If we had asked the Lord not to take you yet,

I know the answer we would get

If we could write you a letter,

Or call you on the phone

We know you wouldn’t want to come home.

If we could reach you, no doubt you would say

You’d want to stay.

In our heart of hearts we know

What is settled above is settled here below.

It’s just so hard to let you go.

Tho we know you are in a better place,

Tis a bitter sweet sorrow we face

In spite of all we know,

It’s still hard to let you go

So, as we part,

Know that you take with you our hearts.

Tis with great sorrow we bid you Adieu.

Pastor Billy, we will be seeing you.

By and by

In that great meeting

In the sky.

In memory of Dr Billy Ingram

Pastor, Founder of Maranatha Community Church

Los Angeles, CA

These words I leave you in hopes they will bring comfort to us all

Given our pastor’s absence here,

We know he is finally hearing the words he longed to hear.

“Well done.  You can come on in.”

Song by Deitrick Haddon

Well Done

Beware of the Dream Stealers

In a day of bullying, there is a greater need to reinforce your child's belief in himself,
So that nothing or no one can shake his sense of security.

Being smart, is not something to be ashamed of, and certainly, being different is not a liability.  It is a desirable asset.  Don't allow anyone or anything to steal your dreams.  Dream big and always endeavor to be the best you can be in all your individuality.  Do what you know how to do best, be yourself.

“This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

William Shakespeare

Beware of the Dream Stealers

Copyright 2009 by P.Newman-Harris

Beware of the dream stealers,

The negative revealers

They have nothing positive to relate

They won’t step up to the plate

They want to discourage you

What they are doing is nothing new

If you let them, they will capitalize on your fears.

Keep you in the same place for years.

They enjoy taking the wind out of your sails

And watching you fail.

It’s cool if you’re hanging out and smoking weed,

But don’t try to succeed.

They start talking smack,

Telling you that getting an education is whack

Filling your ears with waste

And laughing in your face.

Beware the dream stealers,

The negative revealers.

They will squash your hopes

Tell you need drugs to cope.

Don’t fall into that trap.

You can do better than that.

Drugs will bait you on a hook like a fish

Destroy every dream and wish,

Make you think you’d be better off dead

Until one day you finally put a gun to your head

The dream stealers won’t help you see your way out

They only plant seeds of doubt.

If you take their advice, you may as well hang your mind out to dry

And watch all your dreams die.

You don't need to swim in doubt

That, you can do without

Surround yourself with those who will uplift,

Stir up your gifts,

Support your dreams,

Boost your esteem.

They say misery

Loves company

Take heed

Dream stealers don’t want you to succeed.

Don’t be a fool.

Stay in school.

If you’ve got to go it alone,

Stay in the zone.

Use everything you’ve got.

Don’t stop until you reach the top.

Never apologize

For being wise.

You can never be too smart.

Pursue your dreams with your whole heart.

Believe in you.

God is the only one who can make your dreams come true.

You don’t have to hold up the wall at the corner liquor store.

You can have more.

Just because you’re from the hood

Doesn’t mean you are no good

So what if your friends think you’re whack

Let them talk smack

Words cannot hurt you

Keep doing what you want to do

You don’t have to end up in jail

You don’t have to fail

Beware of the dream stealers,

The negative revealers

They don’t give; they only take

Make no mistake

There is no hope in coke

Don't blow your mind up in smoke

The dealer is not going to tell you that

When your money is keeping clothes on his back

Drugs will take you on a one-way ticket to hell

That’s a story some won't live to tell.

Don’t be a fool

Stay in school

If you’ve got to go it alone

Stay in the zone

Use everything you’ve got

Don’t stop until you reach the top

Never apologize

For being wise

You can never be too smart

Pursue your dreams with your whole heart

Believe in you.

God will  make your dreams come true.

               Bigger Dreams

You asked to be a princess but God wanted to make you a Queen

God will make your dreams come true

He will surprise you with what he can do

Before you were birthed

Before you came to earth

Before you could conceive what was to be

He had already determined your destiny.

A young man held a vision

To assist those in need

He planted the seed

His faith enabled it to grow

It took him places he never expected to go.

Today, he travels the world.

Watching miracles unfurl.

God can take you places you have never seen.

He can make you a King or a Queen

He can bless you with riches untold

There is no good thing he will withhold.

There was a little girl who asked God to bless

He did more than bless.

He made her known in every country and land.

His plans for her life surpassed those of any man.

His dreams for her were bigger than any she could see.

That little girl was Oprah Winfrey.

He who has created the oceans and the seas

And sends the breeze to ruffle the trees,

Will he not take care of you and me?

You asked to be a princess, but God wanted to make you a Queen

His desires for us far exceeds our dreams

Out of the rubbles of a life

Comes a bright shining light

Once hurt and abused,

You can still be used.

He used Maya Angelou,

He can use you.

What is meant for bad God can make good

He knows the names of every child in the hood

God can transcend time and space.

He is bigger than any obstacle we might face.

Things are not always as they seem

God’s desires for you can far exceed your dreams

Before you were birthed

Before you came to earth,

Before you could conceive what was to be,

He had already determined your destiny.

©2008 by P. Newman-Harris

Having My Say the Poetic Way

©by Patricia Newman-Harris

I want to have my say the poetic way

Be remembered among the great poets of time.

Dance on imaginations

Play on emotions

Open poetic doors never opened before

I want to move you to tears, make you laugh,

Help you escape the ordinary

Be that poetic fairy that exposes

The hidden treasures of the heart.

I want to encourage, motivate, and uplift

The weary, discouraged and broken-hearted.

Be the sonorous black voice resounding

In an otherwise quiescent atmosphere

I want you to remember I was here.

A sister, respected and admired like Maya and Nikki G,

Having my say the poetic way!

This poem is part of an unpublished collection 

entitled Having My Say the Poetic Way