Welcome to the Light A Candle in the Dark website. Light A Candle in the Dark is a poetry website created to share my poetry and the poetry of others who have a love for reading and writing poetry. It is a place where poetry is loosely defined. It's a simple joy of the written or spoken word. It is not a forum for discussing technique or the contents of the poetry posted herein.
Welcome and enjoy!
Pat (aka P. Newman-Harris)
It's hard to sum the years in a few words. One thing I do know is that the time passed much to fast.
It was a turbulent start and a turbulent end to your term. In spite of the challenges, I think America under your influence, was an America we can be proud of.
Although you received harsh criticism throughout your terms, your vision for this country was understood and supported by many. Your commitment to greatness goes beyond words. From the very beginning, you set a remarkable standard. You would have accomplished more with the cooperation and respect you deserved based on your title, as well as your record of excellence. Your endurance through it all is a testament to your courage and strength. In my opinion, you far surpassed all standards by serving with humility, honesty and integrity. We could not have asked for more.
Thank you for taking our nation to higher heights as well as for looking beyond class, person, race or place to the heart of each and everyone of us. Yes, there are those, who will never acknowledge what you accomplished, but their opinion really doesn't matter. The fact that so many Americans have taken to the street to demand excellence from anyone who takes the Office of the President is proof that you set a standard for all who will follow. Thank you for giving us the audacity to hope and to believe that no matter who we are or where we are from, we have the right to and can live the American dream.
On this, the Inauguration Day of Donald Trump as President of the United States, I struggle with what to say. Then, I remembered something my Mother always said, "If you can't say something good, say nothing at all." So, what I can say is that I pray for our nation, and I pray for the world. One thing I do know is that we cannot expect anything positive from an agenda of hate. No matter what comes our way, we have to remain positive that the love in the hearts of the many will outweigh the hate in the hearts of the few. I say good-bye to President Obama and his family and thank them for being a positive influence upon this country and the world. To President Obama I would like to say thank you for showing us hope, respect and integrity. You taught us that America is not just me and its not just you, it is us. One thing that describes us all, no matter what the color of our face, no matter what place we may have once called home, in this great land, we are all Americans.
A King is what you were destined to be One who could see injustices others could not see. Hand chosen by God to lead the battle against inequality You were a King fit to be a King. You changed the world with one cry, "Let freedom ring." You gave your life to right the ultimate wrong. Yours was not a message of violence, but one of love, peace and humility. You could forgive the unforgiveable, Motivate the unmotivated and move the seemingly immovable. You awakened the sleeping and quickened the dead in spirit. You taught us to draw from a well spring of strength. That lay dormant in the pain and agony of injustice. You gave us a vision of what was on the other side. You ignited our hearts with pride. You enabled us to see that we could overcome, If in our hearts we would believe. That was your hope. That was your dream. You penetrated the darkness of hopeless and despair and became a beacon of hope, challenging, inspiring and gently courageously guiding us through. Like the great men and women who championed freedom's cause, the light of your legacy of hope lives on. They may have stilled your voice, but, in our spirits, we can still hear your cry, "Free at last. Free at last Thank God Almighty, We are free at last!" All hail to you Martin. Forever, in our hearts you will be a King, fit to be a King.
Dr. Martin Luther King stated, in his "I Have a Dream" speech:
"In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check.
When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Right" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness."
Through his sacrifices, Dr. King paved the way for us. he laid the ground work for all the opportunities we now enjoy. Yet, some of us are squandering those opportunities. He placed money in our names long ago in the bank account of opportunity. If you knew you had been left and inheritance, would you not rush to claim it? Dr. King risked his life to leave us an inheritance. It is ours to claim. I am so grateful for those opportunities. Every day, I am grateful to Dr. King and to all those on whose shoulders we ride.
Seize the Opportunities
Little boy, little girl
Do you know how your history unfurled?
Do you know of the perils of slavery,
of the price others paid for you to be free?
If it had not been for those who went before,
There would be no open door.
Do you know that there was a day when black people
could not learn to read or write?
Can you imagine what that must have been like?
For our people, knowledge became the key to opportunity.
Ultimately, it was the light that led the way to
our forefather being free.
The same holds true today.
Yet, the wisdom that is ours to take is being thrown away.
That's why so many of us live with our backs against the wall
Barely able to crawl.
Our lives are so enslaved
That our desires and dreams are going to an early grave.
We are so blind we cannot see
That we hold the keys to opportunity.
Some are so complacent they cannot see the subtle attack.
Everything we have earned is slowly being snatched back.
We have to fight to keep what we have earned.
We cannot do this if we refuse to learn.
Ultimately, the decision to live right is ours to make.
We have the wisdom to realize that drugs do not give,
they only take.
They take your home, your will to succeed,
Your wife.
They will even take your life.
Are you willing to pay such a price?
No one in his right mind would willingly lay down his life.
Have you considered this?
Wasted opportunities are opportunities we willingly miss.
Do you realize that you are guilty of ingratitude?
Check your attitude.
Are your actions saying thank you to those who paved the way
Or, are you throwing it all away?
There may come a day when what little we have may be stripped away.
We must prepare for that day.
We have to prepare our minds.
There will be no welfare lines,
There won't be anything to fall back on
in our time of need.
So, take heed.
This is a dog eat dog world,
and only the strong will survive.
If you don't have what you need to make it,
you will be eaten alive.
God opens doors,
but he won't make us walk through them.
We have to seize each and every window
of opportunity that comes our way.
We cannot throw anything away.
Everything we possess
was obtained through the blood, sweat
and tears of those who have gone before.
We must be thankful for every open door,
Accepting the challenge and the responsibility
to seize every opportunity.
Copyright 2014: Living the Dream, Patricia Newman-Harris
Dr. King's I Have a Dream Speech
delivered August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C. can be viewed at Americanrhetoric.com
2016 was a difficult year for so many of us. Having to say goodbye to so many talented and well-loved people is hard. We will miss them all.
While reflecting on life and death, and the loss of so many, I wrote this.
When life begins, God opens the door and sends us forth.
When life ends, he opens his arms and welcomes us home.
Though the doors of life here are closed shut forever,
Our life with God goes on forever.
We can take comfort in the memories we shared, the conversations, as well as
the moments of love that were given. Those are the gifts that are left for the living.
They will be ours to treasure forever; long after our last good-byes, long after our
last cries, they will never die.
My condolences to the families of all who were lost.
To Earth, Wind and Fire, you are all my heart
and I thank Maurice White and the group for
the memories you have allowed me and my
family to make. You are truly uniquely a
"Shining Star", for the whole world to see.
