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)
Women of the world,
I see you there
Your hair,
Your dress,
Impeccable,
Yes.
I see you,
But I look beyond
Your hair,
Your dress
And see the rest.
Without a doubt,
You are beautiful inside and out,
But you want the world to see you,
In your entirety.
To look beyond your polished nails
and high heel shoes,
Not to be perceived as tough as nails,
But as someone who can compete
No matter what shoes she has on her feet.
Someone who is taken seriously by all
No mater how small.
Someone who can stand firmly in position
Without being unfairly degraded by the competition.
The "phenomenal woman," as Maya described.
What a glorious tribe!
The tribe called Woman.
I see you in all your glory.
I see your beauty;
Your hair,
Your dress,
Impeccable,
Yes.
I see you,
But I look beyond
Beyond your hair,
Your dress
And I see the rest.
Would the world could see the rest.
KJLH Radio 102.3FM Host Dominique Diprima And Other ‘Women Who Dared’ To Be Honored
By Sentinel News Service
Published March 16, 2016
(Left-to-Right): Honorees Dominique DiPrima, Jackie B. Majors and D’Ann Morris Courtesy Photo
On Thursday, March 31, the California Black Women’s Health Project
will celebrate and honor “Women Who Dared: Our Legacy & Our Future ”
during their 21st Anniversary Breakfast Gala & Fundraiser from 7:30
a.m. – 10:00 a.m. at City Club – Los Angeles, 555 South Flower Avenue,
51th Floor. The California Black Women’s Health Project (CABWHP) is the
only statewide organization solely dedicated to improving the health of
California’s Black women and girls via education, advocacy, policy and
outreach.
The 2016 “Women Who Dared” honorees are: Dominique DiPrima (community
advocate and KJLH Radio 102.3FM host of “The Front Page”); Jackie B.
Majors (women and children’s champion, and CEO – Crystal Stairs, Inc.);
and D’Ann Morris (community health activist and change maker, and former
Director of Health Initiatives – Los Angeles Urban League). The
Breakfast Gala will include tributes in dance, music and spoken word, as
well as an update on CABWHP’s groundbreaking advocacy work to improve
the physical, mental and emotional health of Black women and girls.
Proceeds from the gala will support the continuation of CABWHP’s work
to achieve health equity for Black women and girls, and the expansion
of the organization’s Advocate Training Program (ATP), an innovative
program that trains Black women to be health policy advocates and
activists. To date, the ATP has produced more than 200 women’s health
advocates in Southern and Northern California.
From L.A. Sentinel.net
This is old news but worth mentioning for Women's History Month
Dominque will again be honored on Friday March 31st in Chambers of Congressman Herb Wesson's Office @10am., 200 N. Spring St., L.A. Congratulations Dominique..Continue Fulfilling Your Dream.
I remember one of my Dad's favorite songs was entitled , Give Me My Flowers. written by the late, great Rev. James Cleveland. My dad sang this song a lot.
The memorable words are "Give me my flowers while I yet live
so that I can see the beauty that they bring." It goes on in another verse to say,
"Speak kind words to me while I can hear them, so I can hear the beauty that they bring,"
Sometimes we don't take the time to tell people just how much
they mean to us. When they are gone, they can't smell the
roses you never got around to giving them. So, this Women's
History month, I am giving all women their flowers while they
can yet hear, but especially, to the Mothers, who keep watch,
love endlessly, and most of all, pray for our safety throughout
our lives. I know for a fact, that my mothers prayers
kept our family and yet cover us, even though she is no
longer is our presence. So, to our Guardian Angels,
I am telling you that you are loved and appreciated while
you can hear the words that so often go unsaid.
A
MOTHER’S TEARS
No one sees a mother’s tears
silently cried throughout the years.
No one knows the secrets she
keeps hidden under lock and key.
God alone knows the endless
hours has spent on bended knees
Praying for her family.
No one knows how many times
she awakens at night
At the sound of every
siren,
Feeling her heart sink to
the floor,
Silently praying until her
child makes it through the door.
No one knows the
disappointments that choke her heart,
As with each breath she
fights to keep things from falling apart.
Everyone takes for granted
she will always be strong,
So, she bares everyone’s
burdens her whole life long.
Bravely she presses on,
Never complaining,
Always smiling, gentle and
loving,
Working tirelessly.
She is always there for you and me
A pillar of strength for all
to see
No one knows the tears she
has cried silently,
No one knows the endless
hours she has spent on bended knees.
Praying
for her family. copyright Patricia Newman-Harris
I would like to honor the contributions of women to the world. Their accomplishments, as mothers, wives, and professionals in all fields is significant. It amazes me how much woman can accomplish in one day. They are excellent at multitasking, but sometimes, their ability to do that is to their detriment. Often, as mothers and wives, they make themselves last on the list. So, today, I put you first on the list. To the women who contributed to our lives and our family, I am so grateful. I admire them for their durability, for the their ability to make a meal out of very little, for sacrificing their own needs to make sure our needs were met and for their courage. To all the women who are on fire, burn on!
It's 2:00 am and sleep is so far from me it may as well be a foreign country.
You would think at this hour, I'd be fighting sleep, but seems like
sleep has become my worse enemy. So, rather than lie here in the dark
idling time, I decided to write some lines. It's funny how most of my poems
come during the wee hours. I used to keep pen and tablet on the ready. Now,
I keep my phone nearby.
Tonight was one of those nights that was destined to be. I turned on the radio
to hear a young poet speaking amplified wisdom and life. What was he doing up
so late at night (or so early in the morning)? Funny how God directs you to
a given place at a given time. I held on to his every line. Though the years
between us are many, our love of poetry said there wasn't any. He's so blessed
to have found the keys to the poetic universe so early. I'm glad he found a
way out of the darkness, cheated death through self-destruction and is doing
something positive with his life. I woke up to write, but listening to this segment
on the radio has somehow made me sleepy. On that note, I am pulling up the covers and
calling it a night.
If you want to check this young man out, his name is Matthew Cuban Hernandez
