Mama Won't You Tell Me

When I look at children growing up today, I wonder what questions must be going through their minds?  How do they feel watching our country sweat the small stuff while things fall down around our ears?  This is what inspired this poem. 

Please remember all the young black men who were slain for nothing more than the color of their skin.  Remember their Mothers and their Fathers who are left to wonder why their child had to die.   Then remember that these young people deserve a chance to dream just like everyone else.

Mama Won’t You Tell Me

©2011 by P. Newman-Harris

Mama won’t you tell me

How can I make it through the day?

How can I have fun

How can I play

When little children are being blown away?

In a world that is morally sick

How do I not end up a statistic?

How do I stay encouraged when I’m expected to fail?

How can I stay out of jail?

How can I learn to be a man

When there is no one there to take my hand

And no one to understand?

They tell me to stand on my own two feet,

But how can I stay clean living on a crime infested street?

I don’t know how long I can stay on the right path.

I don’t know how much longer I’m going to last.

What do I do when there are no jobs and no way

To make a decent pay?

You may think I’m too young to know,

But Mama I want to know

How can I be all I can be

When the decks are stacked against me?

I appreciate your sacrifices.

I really want to make something of my life

But how do I keep trying

When inside I’m dying

A little every day?

How can I make my fears go away?

How can I plan for tomorrow

When I don’t’ know if I’ll make it through the day?

Mama won’t you tell me

Who is going to save me?

We Are Family

Every summer, I share this story.  Usually, somewhere someone is attending a family reunion.  I know they can relate.  You love going, but you know there can possibly be some drama.  Try not to let the drama get to you.  Just enjoy your family while you can.   Here is my family reunion story (Most is fictional).

When it comes to family reunions, we all have a story to tell.

Even when things don’t go well,

Everyone has a memory to treasure,

What matters most is the time spent together.

No matter the family name

Every reunion seems the same

There’s always a favorite Grandpa,

Grandma, a favorite Aunt or Uncle,

That keeps the family going

Without knowing,

They are the family glue.

One day, they will cement

the memories everyone holds onto.

If we keep living,

There are some things that are a given

One day we will be gathering under a tree

Trying to see what we can see,

Checking out everyone that comes within our sight,

Looking to see whose pants are too tight

Or whose skirt is too short..

There is always the gathering of the family court.

The women gather to discuss who has gained weight since last year

While the men go where the women can’t hear,

Grab a brew and discuss who is doing who.

It’s almost like a competition.

The one you least expect makes an admission.

Of all people, Uncle George

Admits that he’s been creepin

While Aunt Mamie is sleepin.

Everybody looks at him and rolls their eyes

Cause they know he ain’t doing nothing but talking lies.

You see, it don’t take a wizard

To see that Aunt Mamie is,

as Grandma would say,

"Crazier than a road lizard."

Besides, Uncle George just ain’t going out that way.

Every family has a Madea to fear.

She is always ready to box the children’s ears.

She  has a powerful punch

And is not afraid to stand up to anyone in the bunch. 

Madea don’t play.

When they say crazy, Madea is crazy with a double z.

In every family there is always a family disgrace.

You know, the person who gets drunk and throws up all over the place.

Inevitably, somebody makes a liquor run and disappears

Only to reappear like magic, just before its time to say

their last goodbyes.

Nobody bothers anymore to wonder why.

What would a reunion be without a little excitement?

It seems as if someone is hell-bent

On causing a fight.

It doesn’t matter.

This time next year,

nobody remembers that night.

Well, they might remember,

But come September,

They are already making plans for the next reunion.

After all who wants to miss the family reunion.

When it’s all said and done,

We are and always will be, family.

We will always forget our differences and sing,

 “We are family.  I got all my people with me.”

Because we are and always will be, family! 

copyright P. Newman-Harris

All We Need is Love

People everywhere

need someone to care.
In a world without love
No one survives
We need love to stay alive.
Until we function as one,
Peace will never come
Why is it so hard for us to see?
We are talking basic humanity.
No matter where we live,
No matter our circumstance,
We all deserve a chance.
You may think you have the homeless man beat
But anyone can end up on the streets.
The face of the homeless changes all the time
It could be yours or mine.
When we find common ground,
We will find a sacred place where we all can abound.
If we think we can do it alone,
We may as well pack up and go home.
We don’t need a New Year’s resolution.
We need a solution.
The answer lies in the heavens above.
All we need is love.
We don’t have to search our minds,
The answers ours to find.
We don’t need a fortune-teller
Or an astrologist.
We don’t need a sociologist or psychologist.
There is no mystery,
No special key
or secret passageway
We can end our problems today.
We don’t have to solve the case.
It is as clear as the nose on our face.
There is no special fix,
No chemicals to mix
There is an answer.
There is a way.
Only those who hear the call
Will see the light
In the darkest of nights
Others will spend a lifetime
Hopelessly searching
for answers that they will never find.
The answers have been there all the time
written in verse and line.

For the Bible tells us so

All we need is one seed to make it grow

The answer lies in the heavens above
All we need is love.

copyright by P. Newman-Harris

In All Thy Getting

                   

In my lifetime, I have seen the seemingly impossible come to be

Man has accomplished things that will go down on the pages of history
He has soared high in the heavens above and delved the depths of the sea.
He has almost surpassed anything he hoped could be.
He has scaled the tallest mountains,
Traveled the vast terrain
Made countless discoveries,
Solved many a mystery,
He has conquered the unknown,
And righted many a wrong
Great men have come and gone
Trying to help us grow strong
Some have left behind a great legacy
Trying to make things better for you and me
Despite our victories, there remains one lingering defeat
One standard we have yet to meet
One dream that goes unfulfilled,
Still
We have shown that we can conquer our greatest fears,
But we can’t make our differences disappear
We have built great bridges
And elaborate edifices
We have caused many things to cease
But still, there is no peace
We can transplant the human heart
But we can’t change the condition of the human heart
All of man’s accomplishments will pale
If in this one task he fails
We can cast everything we’ve done into the sea
If there is no love between you and me
For everything man has done will be without meaning
If in all his getting, he fails to get an understanding.

copyright Patricia Newman Harris

Scripture reference:

Proverbs Chapter 4

It amazes me as I sit back and watch some of the events of recent days
It almost leaves me speechless.  What can you say when in the presence
of truth, there appears to be a blatant absence of truth?
I try not to be discouraged by anything I see and hear, and I always
remember the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. regarding justice.
"Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."


I know all things are working for our good.

Losing is Hard, but Stay Encouraged

One of my past-times is watching voice competitions like American Idol and the Voice.
I see so many hopeful singers being told no.  I see the disappointment on their faces and
I feel their hurt.  For all of those people who are turned down, I want to say, Stay encouraged.
The words no should never deter you from your dreams.  There is nothing anyone can say to take your dreams away from you.


Have you ever looked high into the sky
and asked, why?
In your lifetime there will be many days
that you will not understand.
The key is to stay in the race
Don't allow yourself to be displaced.

I saw the tears streaming down your face

When the judges said you did not place.

I know it is hard to stay encouraged
when you feel so discouraged
Hearing the words "no"
cut to the very soul
But don't lose sight of your goal.
The closer you get
The more you may hear the words, "Not yet."
You may be told that you are not the one.
Remember, it's not over
It's not done
This might not be the year
for you to hear what you want to hear
It's okay to shed your tears
But have no fear
In your lifetime
There will be a right place and a right time
Failure is only a part of your journey
It is just one rung on the stairway to the top
Don't stop
You will rise, not by your power
But by his might
Keep seeking the light.
Like a starship in the night
Your dreams will one day take flight!


Note:

People look into your eyes and tell you "No."
God looks inside your heart and tells you, "Yes."